Rupiah finds job for ex-ZAWA director

Rupiah finds job for ex-ZAWA director
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sun 08 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has found a job for former ZAWA director general Dr Lewis Saiwana in The Gambia following the termination of his contract after the ZAWA board and international donors rejected him.

Government sources said The Gambian government had asked President Banda to offer that country a wildlife expert to help set up the wildlife sector.

The sources said after the ZAWA board, the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resource top leadership and international donors insisted that Dr Saiwana’s contract must not be renewed, President Banda decided to send him to The Gambia as requested.

“The board chairman, Dr Saiwana and the other officials met President Banda in October and they agreed on the termination of Dr Saiwana’s contract,” the source said. “But the President seemed to be interested in Dr Saiwana so he said Dr Saiwana could not be left just like that - jobless. Therefore, the President said he had received a request from The Gambia for assistance with an expert in wildlife sector to go and help that country to establish the wildlife sector body there. So he President Banda decided to send Dr Saiwana to The Gambia. Dr Saiwana left for The Gambia last week; he left his vehicle at Lusaka International Airport. He went to assess the situation there before he finally moves to that country. He is going there to help set up a wildlife sector body similar to ZAWA. He is not going there as a diplomat or director general of the wildlife body but an advisor.”

The source wondered why President Banda sent Dr Saiwana to the Gambia after he was rejected here.

“The international donors had declared that they would freeze funding to the wildlife sector if ZAWA maintained Dr Saiwana at the helm of the institution. The minister, the permanent secretary and the ZAWA board agreed with the position of the donors and informed the President. But the President has a soft spot for Dr Saiwana and sent him to The Gambia. Somehow, this is bad diplomacy because when The Gambian government realises that Dr Saiwana was rejected here, they will be very upset and may not trust our President and Zambians again. That might sour our relations with The Gambia,” the source said.

The source said ZAWA legal counsel Jack Chulu was now acting as director general pending the recruitment of Dr Saiwana’s replacement.

Efforts to contact Dr Saiwana failed because his mobile phone was off.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning had reported Dr Saiwana and his management to the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) for investigations over the alleged irregular awarding of a road construction contract in Mfuwe to Tomorrow Investments.

An audit report commissioned by the Norwegian government, which financed the road project, recommended: “The DG Dr Saiwana has to take responsibility with possible action of breach of fiduciary duty. ZAWA has to investigate the employment contract of the DG and charge him for gross negligence for the loss incurred by the statutory body due to his negligent acts. Internal disciplinary procedures should be provided for that.”

Norway had demanded that Dr Saiwana be removed over the irregularities in ZAWA.