Zambian president sacks minister after criticism

By Francis Maigaila

LUSAKA, Zambia

Zambia's president on Tuesday fired his national planning minister after the official criticized what he called wasteful government spending.

Amos Chanda, spokesman for President Edgar Lungu, told journalists that the removal of Lucky Mulusa from the Cabinet was effective immediately.

"The president thanked Mulusa for the service he rendered to the government and wished him well in his future endeavors."

In November, Mulusa criticized the government of the southern African nation for buying 42 fire engines in September at the cost of $1 million apiece.

According to Mulusa, it was a waste of money for cash-strapped Zambia to purchase what he called substandard fire engines for a total of $42 million.

On Oct. 2, five main opposition leaders pressed Lungu to suspend the home affairs and other Cabinet ministers over the fire engine purchase.

"Buying the fire engines at the cost of $1 million per truck is just too much. There are affordable fire engines in the range of $150,000 to $350,000 which the Zambian government could consider purchasing," said Charles Milupi, head of the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD).