Speech to be delivered by His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu President of the Republic of Zambia on the occasion of the Handover Ceremony for the Retirement House of the Fourth Republican President Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda on Thursday, 22nd November, 2018

Infrastructure and Housing Minister, Ronald Kaoma Chitotela, Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Chomba Sikazwe with former Fourth Republican President Rupiah Bwezani Banda (RB) and President Edgar Chagwa Lungu (ECL)

State House

• Your Excellency, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, First President of the Republic of Zambia;
• Your Excellency, Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda Fourth President of the Republic of Zambia;
• Mr. Davies Mwila, Secretary General of the Patriotic Front;
• Hon. Cabinet Ministers present;
• Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr. Roland Msiska;
• Senior Government officials;
• Distinguished invited guests;
• Members of the Press;
• Ladies and Gentlemen:

i wish to extend my sincere gratitude to your Excellency, Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda, the Fourth President of the Republic of Zambia, for accepting the official handover of your Retirement House to you.

Your Excellency:
Let me take this opportunity to apologise on behalf of the Zambian Government for the delay in providing a permanent dwelling for you and your family. This was due to circumstances beyond our control. However, I am personally happy that today, the PF Government has fulfilled this task.
To expedite this project, Government devised modalities aimed at completing this Retirement House to enable you our elder states man to settle down. This will also enable you to continue playing your important role of offering counsel to this great nation and the world at large. It is our duty as Government to ensure that our states men are comfortable, even in retirement.

In the same vein, let me extend my government’s apologies to all families of the former presidents for the delay in completing their retirement houses.

Let me also assure the families and the Zambian people that government will endeavour to complete the houses at the earliest possible time.

Therefore, I direct all institutions involved to expedite the processes for these projects. Our aim is to complete all Former Presidents’ Retirement Houses as soon as possible.

Your Excellency;
Ladies and gentlemen:
I wish to note that Government has been paying rentals for transit homes for all the former presidents’ families. This is as the families await the completion of retirement houses. It is my government’s duty to ensure that all former presidents are comfortable in accordance with the provision of the law.

Further, I wish to reiterate my earlier pronouncement that government will not build me a retirement house even though it is a constitutional requirement.

For the retirement houses which have so far been built, I urge the Ministry of Works and Supply to put in place a maintenance plan to retain their beauty.

Your Excellency:
Our plea is that your house will be an Oasis of good Counsel for Government and the Zambian citizens.

May the lord bless you and your family, may he grant you good health.

It is now my pleasure and honour to officially handover the retirement house to the Fourth Republican President his Excellency Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda on this day, Thursday, 22nd November, 2018. I thank you.
May god bless you all.

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