By NATION REPORTER
ZAMBIA was fully represented at the inauguration of Rwandan President Paul Kagame for his fourth term, State House has clarified.
Some political pundits have questioned the absence of President Hakainde Hichilema at the inauguration of his Rwandan counterpart who was elected for the fourth term with a landslide of 99.9 percent majority vote.
Clayson Hamasaka, the State House Communications Specialist has since advised people to stop feeding off social media reports.
Mr Hamasaka said the minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Mulambo Haimbe, represented President Hichilema at the inauguration.
“The President has ministers for a purpose. They represent him when he is not available. He had other national issues to attend to,” Mr Hamasaka said.
He said had President Hichilema travelled to Rwanda to attend the inauguration of President Kagame, it would be the very same people accusing him of being a globe trotter.
“The President was preoccupied with other duties back here home and on that day, he was at the Kusefya Pangw’ena traditional ceremony. If he travels, it is the same Zambians who will start complaining that the President is travelling a lot,” Mr Hamasaka said.
And Chishimba Kambwili, a former Foreign Affairs Minister and a veteran politician said attending international events was the prerogative of the head of State.
Mr Kambwili said in an interview that it was up to an individual President to travel or not to.
“Attending to international invitations is the choice of the individual President. When ba (Mr) Sata became President, he never left the country close to a year,” he said.
On Sunday, 20 African Presidents, including the Chairperson of the African Union attended Mr Kagame’s inauguration as President of Rwanda after he won the election by over 99 percent beating his two rivals who together got less than one percent of the votes.
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