The First Lady of Zambia, Esther Lungu, headed to the US with a 25-man delegation to receive four fire trucks, which the Los Angeles Fire Department, had retired from service.
Her action has sparked outrage in her country, especially, as it emerged that some members of her entourage included cooks and attendants.
Lusaka Times revealed that based on records obtained from State House, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had processed American visas for 25 travellers, among them a bedroom attendant, cook, cleaner, waiter, about seven police officers, four journalists, three secretaries, two fire brigade officers, a communications officer and accountant.
The presidential spokesperson, Amos Chanda explained that officials in Mrs Lungu’s 25-member delegation to the United States were going to assess if the Fire trucks conformed to Zambian standards.
It was also reported that the donated fire trucks had been in service for over two decades before they were retired. The newspaper revealed that two trucks are 1985 models, one being a 1995 model and the last being a 1996 model
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