Commentary, 21st – 28th August, 09

With so many cases of corruption before the courts of law, it remains critically important that laws aimed at combating corruption need to be tightened. Over the past 20 years, trillions of Kwacha in public resources has been stolen by public servants and in certain cases, in connivance with non-nationals. Arresting people for suspected corruption without any repossession of stolen resources will never deter corrupt activities. It is estimated that well over one-tenth of the national budget is pilfered by public officials while another large amount is earned by public servants through the award of public contracts.

Zambia’s Gross Domestic Product is barely K50 trillion with a budget standing at K15 trillion (inclusive of donor funds). This amount is too small to have any impact on poverty that stands at about 68 percent. With the current growth rate of less than 6 percent per annum, it becomes very important that the resources be disbursed transparently so that they provide meaningful returns.

Any misallocation of resources through corrupt activities perpetuates the poverty cycle from which Zambia may never recover. As at now, it is not clear how much money was lost at the Ministry of Health and it is doubtful any convictions will be obtained. Those who stole will, meanwhile, continue to invest the resources for personal gain.

The institutions of governance, therefore, should show utmost commitment to combat corruption in Zambia. The executive, the legislature and the judiciary should revisit the laws and seal-up the loopholes. This requires political will otherwise it will not happen.

In similar vein, other institutions such as the media and civil society should equally be alert and call for laws that will protect these resources. Developed economies are where they are today because they treated the cancer of corruption by introducing adequate laws that support the prosecution process. The Zambian tax-payer should demand for more accountability and transparency in the management of public resources. Parliament should equally use the revelations of the Auditor General’s reports to tighten the laws so that corruption does not seem to reward anyone.