CLEAN SWEEP AT ZEMA
….Green Economy minister suspends top directors for 60-day ‘competency audit’
By DAVID KANDUZA
IN a swift and decisive move to overhaul environmental governance, the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment has placed all directors at the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) on immediate administrative leave, initiating a high-stakes institutional realignment.
Green Economy and Environment Minister Gilbert Siame announced the drastic measures October 20, 2026, revealing that the affected directors would face rigorous competency audits and suitability assessments over the next 60 days to determine if they were fit to retain their roles.
The sweeping suspension comes on the heels of mounting frustration from the public and State House, with Dr Siame openly acknowledging that the regulatory body had failed to meet national and governmental expectations.
To steer the agency through this turbulent transition, University of Zambia (UNZA) School of Engineering academic Joel Kabika had been appointed as interim director-general for a six-month tenure.
The ZEMA Board were expected to publicly advertise the position at the end of Dr Kabika’s interim term to recruit a permanent successor.
While the sudden sidelining of top brass had sent shockwaves through the sector, Dr Siame reassured the public that the process would strictly adhere to the law and that routine service delivery at ZEMA remained undisrupted.
This dramatic intervention at ZEMA was just the first domino to fall.
The minister confirmed that a ministry-wide realignment exercise had already commenced across other departments, aiming to forcefully align human resources and operational structures with the New Dawn administration’s strict performance benchmarks.