I found something interesting in IVerify - HH is on firm ground on Order of the Eagle award.

HH is on firm ground on Order of the Eagle award.

False

Article 92 (2) of the Constitution of Zambia empowers the President to confers Honours.

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Verified Jul, 20 2022

Claim

On July 14, 2022, Zambian Whistleblower shared a screenshot of Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa’s Twitter feed where he claims that the President Hakainde Hichilema was abusing his office by rewarding State medals to UPND cadres and foreigners from Brenthurst Foundation led by Greg Mills. He termed this as corruption.

Rating Justification

iVerify Zambia has established as false the claim by Dr. Sishuwa that President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema abused his office by honouring three foreign former presidents with Order of the Eagle First Division. President Hichilema on Thursday last week conferred The Order of the Eagle of Zambia First Division on former presidents of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone. Since its establishment on October 23 1965, the Order of the Eagle of Zambia is the highest civil decoration of the country and consists of four grades: Grand Commander (GCEZ), Grand Officer (GOEZ) Officer (OEZ) and Member (MEZ). In the past, former president late Kenneth Kaunda conferred the Order of the Eagle First Division on Emperor of Ethiopia late Haile Selassie in 1965 while Zambia’s 4th president Rupiah Banda conferred the same award on Cuba’s former president late Fidel Castro in September 2009. Article 92 (2) of the Zambian Constitution says: “Without limiting the other provisions of this Constitution, the President shall (g) confer honours”. Therefore, President Hakainde Hichilema acted within his executive functions as the Constitution is silent on who should be awarded.

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