Africa-Press – Zambia. Kajoba is not a 3-star General, protests retired soldier A FORMER high ranking Zambia Army major has protested the three stars displayed on the official vehicle of Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba arguing that the Police chief is a “mister and not a General”.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal security Jack Mwiimbu and copied to his defence counterpart Ambrose Lufuma, retired Major Gershom Bwalya Mubanga contended that stars that the General staff of the Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service display on their vehicles were not merely for decorations but denoted military levels of command and functions through the levels of war or strategy.
Major Mubanga said displaying the three stars on the vehicle of the Inspector General of Police was wrong and must be stopped immediately. He explained that to acquire the stars, soldiers from the rank of second Lieutenant attended lifetime learning courses.
“The IG is a mister not a General. All military symbols use the same stars to denote headquarters and deployment level of command in a theatre or geographical military area of responsibility,” Major Mubanga wrote.
“In other countries where Police use military ranks, it’s because from the onset, they train as military and get commissioned into the Defence Force as second Lieutenants. It is not the same for Zambia. It is for this reason that the Zambia Police Service and Correctional Service Constitutionally are not part of Defence Forces but security wings,” he explained.
Major Mubanga pointed out that it was from his explanation that it was a world wide tradition for officers from the rank of captain to General or Marshall in the military to retire with their ranks while Police officers would just be called mister upon retirement.
He said the three stars displayed on Kajoba’s vehicle suggested that he was a Lieutenant General commanding an army. “Inspector General is an appointment and not a rank, while Army Commander and Air Force Commanders are Commissioned officers who ascend to those titles pursuant to section 165 of the Defence Forces Act, Chapter 106 Volume 8 of the Laws of Zambia…,he stated.
“The IG is not equivalent of Defence Force Commanders, and therefore not entitled to display three stars on his vehicle,” he argued.
“….After all, when the IG fails to handle a security situation facing a country, like it was during the gassing, the IG surrendered Police powers to the military. The IG better revert to his normal being and not bring the Defence Force to explain the rationale used for the IG to adorn star plates for the first time ever in the history of Zambia,” he added.
Major Mubanga hoped that Minister Mwiimbu reflects about the “debacle”. “If this trend is not arrested and nipped in the bag, we shall have Provincial Police Commissioners and Correctional officers also displaying star,” warned Major Mubanga. Kalemba February 2, 2023
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