Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Information, Civic Education and Communications Technology, Esmie Kainja has advised members of staff under the ministry to be supportive of government policies and projects.

Kainja made the call in Lilongwe during the familiarization interaction with staff members in the ministry.

She said the ministry is the hub of information for government and it is also responsible for informing the public about essential government projects and policies, hence the need for the staff to align themselves with the mandate of the ministry.

Kainja, continued by cautioned the members of staff against jeopardizing government’s work because of the different party affiliations they may harbor.

“You should put your party affiliations aside and work hand in hand with government of the day without mudslinging the government,” said the principal secretary.

Kainja’s visit to the department was to appreciate the environment and to see how members of staff go about their day to day work.

She further advised the members of staff to work as a family and refrain from making one another feel inferior as they spend more time with each other than with their families.

“We spend more time at the office than our homes, we should make sure that we create good working environment for ourselves and others,” Kainja said.

Members of staff were also given chance to express their challenges which included shortage of staff, staying too long on same positions without promotion and failure by the department to fill vacant positions.

In spite of such challenges, Kainja advised the staff to continue working hard, advising the staff that some of challenges could be solved if the department is proactive in say, creating new vacancies to create many chances for promotion as well as recruitment.
Kainja was appointed PS for the ministry in March 2019.