State House mum on partial Cabinet

State House has not explained why President Lazarus Chakwera has appointed a partial Cabinet and stated when the rest of the ministers will be appointed.

When dissolving the Cabinet on Monday, the President promised to reconfigure the Cabinet within two days’. However, on Wednesday, he announced a 12-member Cabinet.

Asked to explain why the President did not appoint a full Cabinet, presidential press secretary Anthony Kasunda could not give reasons or state when the full Cabinet will be announced.

He referred The Nation to Wednesday’s Cabinet press release, which stated that: “The rest of His Excellency’s appointees to Cabinet will be made soon owing to His Excellency’s simultaneous preoccupation with a national emergency.”

The President in a statement released at midnight on Wednesday, retained 10 ministers. These are Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe, Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture Michael Usi and Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati.

The others are Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo, Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje, Minister of Health Khumbize Chiponda, Minister of Transport and Public Works  Jacob Hara, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Blessings Chinsinga, Minister of Labour Vera Kamtukule, and Minister of Water and Sanitation Abida Mia.

 Kamtukule and Mia were previously deputy ministers.

Out of 12 only two are new faces:  Minister of Lands Samuel Kawale has replaced Kezzie Msukwa, who is accused of corruption. Business mogul Mark Katsonga Phiri is new minister of Industry and Trade, which was previously split into two separate portfolios.