Kampyongo canes PPRO appointments

By MUBITA KATETE

FORMER Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo has criticised the recent appointment of Principal Public Relations Officers (PPROs), expressing concerns over the lack of a clear recruitment process for the positions.
Speaking on the 5 FM Burning Issue on Thursday, Mr Kampyongo said the appointment of these officers had been poorly handled and was a misguided attempt to address communication challenges between the ruling party and opposition.
Mr Kampyongo, the Opposition Chief Whip has emphasised that the current approach of recruiting civil servants such as PPROs would only lead to unnecessary audit queries.
He said if the government intended to establish new positions and had obtained Treasury approval for recruitment, the situation would be different.
“As a country, we have been advocating for better management of public expenditure through Public Expenditure Entities (PEEs) in the public sector, as this constitutes a significant portion of each annual budget globally,” he said.
Mr Kampyongo pointed out that the public relations profession was governed by an act of Parliament with an established institution to guide the communication strategies within the government and public sector.
He expressed concern that those involved in the recruitment process seemed unaware of the recruiting processes suggesting that there could be something suspicious behind the appointments.
“The management of public relations should be informed by a clear, legal framework, and it seems that the recent appointments have bypassed this,” Mr Kampyongo said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kampyongo has noted that President Hakainde Hichilema should have been fully cautious when introducing the Zambia National Service (ZNS) of the potential financial strain it could place on the national treasury.
Mr Kampyongo however urged President Hichilema to consider sponsoring youth programmes as a more manageable alternative to mandatory ZNS recruitment, admitting that such an initiative would have required careful budgeting.
“I believe that for the 2025 budget, no resources were allocated to that effect. The president has been careful with public finances, understanding that the public sector can only handle so much,” he added.