Republic of Zambia
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services
Media statement (For immediate release)
LET MEANINGFUL CITIZENS SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE FIRST LADY, DR CHRISTINE KASEBA-SATA
Government is surprised by the unfounded and malicious criticism raised against the First Lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba-Sata on her noble and charity work, and her meaningful contribution that she is making to the nation, as reported in some sections of the media.
Dr. Kaseba-Sata has taken up various health and poverty related issues as causes that she is championing. This is a hallmark of her supportive contributions to her husband, sector ministry and the nation at large.
Dr. Kaseba-Sata has also set up a charitable organisation called Ubutala bwa Bumi to help the underprivileged in society.
Her role and contribution to the health sector is not contradictory, but complimentary to Government’s efforts to take health care as close to the people as possible.
The charity work Dr Kaseba-Sata is doing of helping the under-privileged in society, is not unique to Zambia. It is standard practice by many Fist Ladies the world-over.
For example, America’s First Lady, Mrs Michelle Obama, spouse to USA President Barack Obama, has set up and launched an initiative called “Let’s Move”. This is a comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the problem of obesity in America.
Mrs Obama also supports many causes that include cancer, Children, Arts, Environment, Health, hunger Literacy and Peace initiatives.
In fact, the entire history of the USA, shows that from Mrs Martha Washington to Nancy Reagan, Hilary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, the First Ladies have very visible initiatives and support charitable causes that are adopted during their spouses reign at the White House.
As a matter of fact, the Razoo Survey of 2013 from Razoo, an influential online fundraising and donations group that raises funds for non-profit organisations, recognised that the causes that Mrs. Michelle Obama supported were likely to receive donations from Americans.
The survey also established that the First Lady was more likely to attract huge donations on crowd-funding platforms, for her initiatives and causes.
It is therefore advisable that the First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba Sata, must be supported for her initiatives and causes she champions. As a nation, we should encourage her to raise more resources for the benefit of the poor and under-privileged.
It is sad that while a few people wish to offer unfair criticism locally, renowned and reputable institutions and organisations have been recognising and appreciating the work that the First Lady has been doing in the country.
In May 2013, Dr. Kaseba-Sata received a frontline Award from the Global Coalition on Health in recognition of her work in women and children health issues. The Coalition also recognised her work in reproductive health, cervical cancer, and her efforts to improve maternal health.
And Dr Kaseba-Sata was also conferred with an Honorary Fellowship Award for her professional work as an Obstetrician-Gynaecologist at the 61st 2013 American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) Annual Clinical Meeting.
In September 2012, the First Lady was also honoured with the Global Leadership of Excellence Award by the cancer foundation – Susan G Komeni. The award recognised the exemplary personal commitment of Dr. Kaseba –Sata in the fight against cervical cancer in Zambia.
I call upon all well meaning Zambians to be wary of armchair critics bent on criticising good works of others for selfish motives.
It is time for every Zambian to be involved in the development of the country and the First Lady is setting a good example in this regard through the various charitable works she is doing aimed at uplifting people’s living standards.
Government therefore wishes to pay glowing tribute to the First Lady and calls on all well meaning Zambians to support her noble efforts in contributing to people’s wellbeing.
Hon. Mwansa Kapeya, MP
MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
14th September, 2013
Why???? Let her just work, she gets K1.5m (rebased) per year, I dnt here civil servants being named and praised for the work they do or people issuing statements. We are paying her so let work-full stop
ba mwansa kapeya already trying to impress or is it he just wants to flex his muscles by using his newly acquired status of info.minister, issuing govt statements. ma-fi aya yena!!!
what is the Biography of Hon. Kapeya? Run through a google search and just read he was appointed, it was too late for RB to travel.
Not much information to relay on. I think it is important our leaders give the public at least basic information to know them.
They should explain to us what her role is in the Government only then we will be able to determine whether she is achieving her goals or not.
Ifyabukaya!
The new Minister of Information is an illiterate folk who has failed to raise the integrity of the PF governance profile. Kapeya has lost direction by failing to note that a mere house wife has taken over the reigns of the Ministry of Health.
If Mother nature were to be remove status of1st-Lady from Dr. Kaseba , this woman would find herself serving as a Junior Medical Doctor to make ends for her family.
Kapeya was expected to settle down to his new post, comprehend the role of his Ministry and later make informed comments on national matters. Kapeya should have analysed the broader aspects that prompted a Luapula MP, Mwila to resign his position. Alas Kapeya has come-in as the biggest boot-leaker with a bang! Fruits of nepotism!
Agree. 2 minutes into the new role, he’s issuing statements. When did he get up to speed in the new role?
He has been working as a deputy minister in the same ministry for a while now…
She’s doing a very good job. The critics will never be silent as long as she is prominent. The best way is to pay them no mind at all and continue with the good work.
Tell your govt to shut up and not rub it down our throat, we have always ignored in the past, but if they kill coming at us, we will question her position in govt and whether she’s money’s worth (k1.5m is a whole lotta money). Only hope the auditor-g will audit whatever office she holds.
As far as you are concerned she is Bemba so she has to be right. No matter that she got a big chunk of tax payers’ money unconstitutionally without the approval of parliament or the fact that she is treading on the toes of the official Minister of Health.
Lucky are those who have their own slash account to dip in.
@Nine Chale,
We know you belong to the family tree and if I were you I would just shut up.
That is why you can’t comment on the issues surrounding your collapsing PF.
Kapeya is a bootlicking, illiterate stooge and it looks like there is more trash that will be coming from him everyday. To hell with this nonsense.
Good one, let her work for mother Zambia and set example to embrace ministers wives to join her. Mayo mpapa naine nkakupapa…
Why should I be forced to support Kasebanya who steals money from me in broad daylight the way she stole Ukwa from another woman. In fact we are not even sure if she the first lady or the first concubine.
She only keeps busy to stay away from the motor mouth at state house.
She is a doctor and yet there are no arvs in the hospitals and children are missing out on vaccinations but Kasebanya is not ashamed to grab money she is not entitled to to go gallivanting on shopping sprees abroad in the pretense of promoting health in Zambia. Gullible Bembas will then turn around and tell you that she is doing a good job and I should sing her praises!
Should we also praise bishop Mpundu’s sisters given that they have given Ukwa the same services to Ukwa that Kasebanya has?
The cancer hospital cant begin treatment after diagonisis until after 3-4 months and patients have to wait or did at home due to huge number of patients on waitlist while the disease worsens. The entire uth services are poor too many patients it 2nt cope!
By vitual of her unethical conduct during the illness of late VP GK at UTH, I do not think that people are up to cosmetics Mr. Kapeya.
Patients have to wait or die at home. Uth cant cope the huge number of patients! These are facts on the ground.
Respect is earned. When a person has depth of character it is readily identifiable. You respect them sometimes without actually knowing why. Glamorous appearances are neither here nor there and have no substance. All fluff.
There is ample opportunity for much more from her. Real hard core stuff, like working to alleviate the suffering in AIDS patient wards, cancer patients etc. Seeing a single picture of her WORKING in a ward of patients, WITHOUT an entourage would gain her a lot of mileage in people’s minds.
If I were her advisor I would tell her to tone down the award-receiving, speech-making outside hospital environments. She’s a doctor for chrissakes!
There are other ladies doing good in communities under difficult circumstances while also lacking a slush fund and no one sings praises of them. In Zambia anything that the ‘first lady’ gets engaged in is cosmetic for it disappears as soon as the husband leaves plot one, I may be wrong but these first ladies programs we have in Zambia are just an extension to the husbands’ political propaganda.
I have nothing against Dr. Kaseba’s ‘award winning’ soap operas and globe trotting episodes. By virtue of the office of the first Lady, her works will naturally get attention(undeserving?)and things will move at pace a little faster that ordinary(What is good for the goose is good for the gander)
But the quarrel I have,(not with her) but with Government is let them regularise her office and make it institutional. Kapeya’s speech writer has mentioned the American set up. For heaven’s sake,there, the office of the first Lady is a Government institution and any federal funding it receives is microspically scrutinized, because these are public funds! Even ‘donated’ funds are severely audited, because the ve been received by a Government institution(office of the 1st Lady)
Let…
The first lady is doing a good job. She needs support of all well meaning Zambians
There should be no preface for citizenship. Well meaning Zambians! My foot!
…Let Government move an act of Parliament regarding the office of 1st Lady, to qualify for public funding and use of other public utilities. Then she will be spared from some of these embarrassing and unnecessary criticisms, and will receive unequivocal support from the people, without unsolicited defense from Kapeya Fyabukaya.
Dear mama Kaseba. While I appreciate your good works, keep your hands off the MOBILE HOSPITALS, which your husband criticised so much when he was in opposition. Identify other medical endeavours of service.
This fyabukaya ***** has started hallucinating again, No sooner has Sakeni started rotting, the Kola click has started issuing *****ic and unpalatable statements to support the personal glory of an individual who does not warrant to sue tax payers money? foolish patriotic Fools you will pay for this. We are tightening belts as Zambians to support the life stile of a husband snatcher to be put in the lime light for personal glory? Fuseki amambala.
Not Against the First Lady’s initiatives, Happy for her hard work and supporting the needy. BUT this statement is very St.upid. I cannot believe how dull our ministers can be?? To waste time typing this Nonsense, is it an issue of trying to impress the first lady?? For favors to SATA? Who has criticized her? Is it a matter of trying to blow her own trumpets? Committed people that do good and contribute wisely, Never Talk.
I am equally surprised. Does it mean you have nothing to talk about? You ministers and MPs your job is to give Zambia a direction!!!!!!!!. You are leaders and policy makers. Your Job is design, Implement and Monitor govt policies and the National and international level?
Let women group vomit such praises. Do you hold Cabinet meetings? Too much talking and self praise meaning that you have are self ego. Such are signs of ever undecided character.
Do you have a work plan or objectives and targets( Daily,weekly, Monthly Quarterly? Do you evaluate your work? Do you have budget flow charts? Do you know what to say to Public and at what time?
Am assumed????????
Shocking and irritating, Imagine wasting time for such rubbish. As you mentioned, do they have targets to achieve? SATA and His people have no direction. They just dream of what to do. Their Leadership skills are below any expectations. Even a Fresh Graduate can do better than these so called PF Leaders. They are an embarrassment. What a shame to have them as Zambian Leaders. No Strategies? No Road-map. Best at Squabbling.
We have been informed and can inferred that the current government never meets as a full cabinet. However, there are conclaves of meetings hence the disjointed messages we get from the ministers. One says this today, two days later another one is contradicting that statement. Looking at the calibre of ministers we have, I would like to believe that technology and aides to planning and monitoring are alien. Take Mwansa Kapeya as an example, I wonder what computer skills he has for him to be able to plan, forecast let alone look at ministry budgetry requirements. And please dont say that falls under someone else’s watch.
Such gatherings should worry concerned Zambia. No even at a family level you can not just decide to let every cook eat, do anything without family agreement. if one family member is court against the law everyone safer. Rice mafia family they are because of sticking to the rules and once you break the rules you vanish. PF has no rules and no family leader, hence PwetePwete
Why dont you start by adopting her so she could be Zambias Angela Merkel.
She is the only with a clean brain to uplift Zambia, all you guys in leadership got there accidentally, please let people like Dr Kasema serve Zambia, shes such a force to reckon with, those who see otherwise are nothing but dunderheads!
Such women must be allowed to be presidents of fallen Nations who have been lacking behind as the world progresses, i wish i had the power to empose her on the presidency right now. What does it take to make her one?
I meant to type impose, hope i havent made some people Mad.
Let’s hope HH’s wife won’t be like Putin’s wife- have you ever seen Putin’s wife anywhere in public? Or on Facebook, perhaps Twitter or even in a photo opening an Orphanage? The only First Lady or Vice who still operates a charity is the (former Vice First Lady) madam MiyandaOrphanage as she did when she was vice first lady! All others were rebased (due to drop in actual drop in income)! Vera’s; Maureen’s; Thandie’s! Maybe the doctor’s will continue after hubby leaves office! Or even my favourite Vice First Lady- Charlotte’s genuine love for people!
Some pipo are really scared of HH. They have to keep him in mind at every instance . . . . But have you ever seen Mumba’s wife or Chipimo’s wife in public of in the recent past? Your comment is a plus to CampHH 2016!!!