• PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu congratulates Justice Esau Chulu after being sworn in as Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson at State House yesterday. -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA/STATE HOUSE

By SYLVESTER MWALE –

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has called for an immediate end to the lawlessness that has characterised land administration in Zambia to enhance maximum benefit from the commodity.
Mr Lungu said the current trend where everyone wanted to build where he wanted must come to an end by putting in place proper planning mechanisms.
The President was speaking at State House in Lusaka yesterday when he swore in Misheck Lungu as Local Government and Housing Permanent Secretary, Esau Chulu as chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and Emily Sikazwe as member of the ECZ Board.
Others who were sworn in were Percy Chato as commissioner general of Prisons and his two deputies – Lloyd Chilundika for operations and  Chileshe Chisela for administration – as well as Tobias Mwanza, who is the new Commissioner of Prisons.
President Lungu also swore in Cecilia Mulenga as chief analyst for Press and public relations at State House.
“This ministry is embroiled in wrangles currently countrywide over land administration, so I believe that you are not new to the ministry and I expect you to go flat-out helping the minister curb this scourge.
“I think we have to go to proper land use planning so that we benefit everyone to the maximum. What is happening now is that everyone wants to build where he wants,” President Lungu said.
He directed Mr Lungu to coordinate with all councils as well as the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) to ensure that desired local governance system was delivered.
On Justice Chulu, Mr Lungu urged the new ECZ chairperson not to allow politicians to manipulate or influence him to change the outcome of the election results.
Mr Lungu said that there had never been a political process which had been perfect since the advent of democracy because politicians always complained after losing an election.
“But as stakeholders, politicians can be heard and should be heard, but ultimately, your duty is to do that which will ensure that there is free and fare process with the majority of people accepting that it has been done in a fair manner,” he said.
Having lost an election before, Mr Lungu said that it was always difficult to accept because losers usually resorted to accusing electoral officials.
He, however, said that the electoral process in Zambia had been credible and won accolades from across the globe, hence the need for Justice Chulu and Ms Sikazwe to enhance the status.
Mr Lungu urged Mr Chato to turn Zambian prisons into correctional services within two years unlike now when they acted as punitive centres.
“Let’s move away from punitive service as it were. The countries worldwide have changed, now they are looking at correction,” he said.
He said failure to turn prisons into correctional centres would make it difficult for him to achieve the Patriotic Front manifesto.
Justice Chulu told journalists after the ceremony that the ECZ would embark on a mobile voter registration exercise from September this year to reach the targeted 6.8 million registered voters by 2016 general elections.