Long term civil servant Jane Mubanga Chinkusu who has been working as Director in the Ministry of Science and Technology, has become the latest casualty of the on-going tribal purging after being surrendered to PSMD holding and replaced by a junior and well known UPND cadre Larry Mweetwa.
The controversial decision to let go Chinkusu and to sideline her two deputies under the supervision of Brilliant Habeenzu, Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Science and Technology, has left many civil servants in the ministry concerned, scared and threatened.
Mweetwa who was first employed as Principal Science Technology Officer, has been made to jump two Assistant Directors above him, and the two will now be forced to start reporting to their junior, sources within the ministry have revealed.
Recently, concerns have been raised by several stakeholders calling for stringent corrective measures to end the on-going purging in order to protect the integrity of the civil service from further infiltration by perceived cadres who in most instances are not qualified or have not served long enough to get senior positions to the disadvantage of those who have been serving longer and have the requisite qualifications.
Chinkusu joins the over 400 senior civil servants surrendered to PSMD holding pending their unknown fate in the escalatidng purge that has become a constant threat to the civil service and all public sector institutions.
Both Habeenzu and PSMD officials were not available for comment by press time.
