NO DIRECTOR HAS BEEN FIRED AT ZAMSTATS
…they were merely transferred…
Lusaka – The Minister of Finance and National Planning Dr SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE, MP, launched the dissemination of the 2022 Census Revised Population Summary Report on Tuesday, 25th February, 2025, at Mulungushi International Conference Center, Lusaka.
At the same event, the dissemination of a report on key findings from the 2022/2023 Employment Earnings Inquiry, was also launched by the Minister.
Dr MUSOKOTWANE was accompanied to the event by his Labour and Social Security counterpart Honourable BRENDA MWIKA TAMBATAMBA, MP, and ZamStats Chairperson OLIVER CHINGANYA.
Others present were Ministry of Finance and National Planning Permanent Secretary for Planning and Administration Ms. PRUDENCE KAOMA, Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary Mr. ZÁCHARIA LUHANGA, UNFPA Country Manager Mr. SETH BROEKMAM, and ZamStats Acting Statistician General Ms. SHEILA MUDENDA.
The event was also attended by other Cooperating Partners, academia, the media, representatives of the public sector and civil society think-tanks, and private sector frequent users of official statistics, among others.
After launching the dissemination of the two reports, the Minister of Finance and National Planning and the Minister of Labour and Social Security left the event to attend to other pressing national duties.
They assigned the ZamStats Board Chairperson, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning Permanent Secretary for Planning and Administration, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary, and the Acting Statistician General to take questions from the audience and give answers.
The 2022 Census Revised Population Summary Report Remains Valid
Following the launch event Last Tuesday, there has been a raging debate on the 2022 Census Revised Population Summary Report as a result of the comments made by the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission Dr CHOOLWE BEYANI, during the question and answer session.
The Statistics Act No. 13 of 2018 and established channels of authority give ZamStats sufficient latitude to ensure that the requirements for integrity and adherence to international standards, are not compromised.
As indicated, dissemination of the report was launched by the Minister of Finance and National Planning. Its contents remain valid.
For the record, last weeks event follows the dissemination of the preliminary census results announced by the former Statistician General Mr. MULENGA J.J MUSEPA on Friday, 23rd December, 2022, at an event where Dr MUSOKOTWANE also delivered a keynote address.
No Director has been dismissed.
The erroneous narrative in the public domain that three (3) Directors have been dismissed from the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) on tribal grounds is a source of great concern.
In their statement Last Thursday, ZamStats indicated that there is no record of any person at any level of its operations being dismissed on the basis of tribe or ethnicity. We reaffirm this position.
Therefore, the assertion of separation from ZamStats on tribal grounds should be treated as false, unfounded and an attempt to discredit the competence and integrity of the national statistical system.
Those named in some quarters as having been dismissed, are:
1. Mr. Mulenga Musepa
Mr. MULENGA MUSEPA was seconded from the Bank of Zambia in October, 2019, when ZamStats was under the then Ministry of National Development Planning. During part of his tenure, the ZamStats Board of Directors was Chaired by Mr. CHARLES MPUNDU (From May, 2021 to April, 2024). Mr. MUSEPA performed as Interim Statistician General from October, 2019, until his confirmation, in February, 2023.
In his portfolio, he oversaw census preparatory activities and the 2022 National Census main data collection exercise.
He also announced the preliminary census results on 23rd December, 2022.
After being on hold, pending the extension of his contract, Mr. Musepa left ZamStats in April, 2024.
2. Ms. Chola Nakazwe
According to our records, Ms. NAKAZWE İs a serving member of staff at ZamStats where she is the Chief Statistician. She has over 21 years of continuous public service and has never been dismissed from ZamStats or any other public institution. Ms. NAKAZWE was in the organizing team for the 2022 Census Revised Population Summary Report dissemination event, held at Mulungushi International Conference Center, last week on Tuesday.
For a brief period between 22nd February to 19th April, 2024, Ms. NAKAZWE was appointed by the former ZamStats Board to act administratively as Statistician General.
This was during the time when Mr. Musepa was on hold, pending the extension of his contract.
3. Mr. Goodson Sinyenga
On 25th April, 2024, Mr. GOODSON SINYENGA, the Director of Research, Planning and Information in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, was assigned by the Civil Service Commission to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning on attachment to perform the duties of Statistician General, for administrative convenience, only. The action by the Commission was made because a new ZamStats Board had not yet been constituted.
Mr. SINYENGA was at ZamStats until October, 2024, when he reverted to his substantive position at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, as Director of Research, Planning and Information.
Mr. SINYENGA previously served under ZamStats for many years.
Current Leadership of
ZamStats is a corporate body established under the Statistics Act No. 13 of 2018. Part Il section 8 (1) of the Act provides for the constitution of a Board of the Agency which consists of part-time members appointed by the Minister Responsible for Statistics, in the current case, it is the Minister of Finance and National Planning.
The Act also provides functions of the Board which mainly are to provide strategic policy direction to ZamStats.
Following the end of tenure of the previous Board in April, 2024, Cabinet at its meeting held on 28th October, 2024, endorsed the recommendation of the Minister of Finance and National Planning to appoint a nine (9) member Board of Directors for ZamStats.
The Board is Chaired by Mr. OLIVER CHINGANÝA.
On the management side, Mrs. SHEILA MUDENDA, Assistant Director – Information, Research and Dissemination, was appointed to serve as Acting Statistician General for administrative convenience, with effect from October, 2024.
Mrs. MUDENDA has served at ZamStats for over thirty (30) years, from April, 1993, to date.
Conclusion
The Minister of Finance and National Planning is aware of the matters recently raised by interest groups at various fora over the last one week concerning the 2022 Census Revised Population Summary Report.
He will soon submit a request to the Speaker of the National Assembly to address pertinent issues througha ministerial statement.
Issued by:
(Original Signed)
OFFICE 3
NO DIRECTOR HAS BEEN FIRED AT ZAMSTATS…they were merely transferred…
