Ombudsman Martha Chizuma says the promotion of 20,000 primary and secondary school teachers in April 2019 was illegal and politically motivated.

Chizuma said this during the launch of the systematic investigation report regarding the promotion of the teachers which she said was marred with several irregularities.

She among other things said that there were more eligible teachers for promotions against the vacant positions that were available; as such there was need for interviews or assessments and not direct route promotions.

The report dubbed Sacrificed at the Political Alter has also revealed that the secretary to treasury, education and local government acted beyond their powers to halt the promotion process by dictating direct promotions.

The investigation also uncovered that other teachers forged promotion letters with the help of staff from the Ministry of Education and Chizuma has therefore directed District Education Managers to check authenticity of the letters and submit a report to her office by March 31.

Apart from failure to consult relevant stakeholders such as district education managers on the promotions, the ombudsman said the timing of the promotions was also suspicious as it was done prior to the tripartite elections, which was a clear indication that the promotions were made to buy votes.

The report has since condemned the act of using promotions as a political campaign tool saying promotion is a right of every civil servant.

She said government has no mandate to sacrifice that right for one’s political gains, but rather has a duty to ensure that promotions are conducted in accordance with the governing laws and processes of the country.

However, Chizuma said they will not push government to reverse promotions saying it will be a waste of resources that has already been spent on the same.

In reaction, one of the officials from the ministry of education, Cecily Kambiri, said the ministry will take action in due course and that in the meantime they have already started function review of the education divisions and investigating the fraudsters on promotion letters.