By Chinoyi Chipulu
Former Ndola Pastors Fellowship chairperson Reverend Chilekwa Mulenga says President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration should explain to Zambians why his administration has failed to act on reports of theft of drugs donated by United States government despite multiple warnings by the US Embassy in Lusaka.
Last week, US ambassador to Zambia Micheal Gonzales announced that the US government was cutting US $20 million or K1.4 billion in annual aid provided to Zambia for medications and medical supplies due to the government’s failure to respond to country-wide systematic theft of the drugs.
Following that announcement, health minister Elijah Muchima said the persistent challenge of drug theft reflected a deep-rooted problem that started before the UPND came into power.
Muchima reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the systematic theft of medicines which had led to the cutting of US $50 million in aid to the health sector by the US government.
But in an interview over the weekend, Mulenga said transferring Sylvia Masebo as minister from Ministry of Health to Ministry of Lands was a wrong move which demonstrated a lack of seriousness in fighting corruption under the UPND administration.
Rev Mulenga said the UPND administration had not necessarily failed the US government but the Zambian people who believed they would effectively fight corruption when they voted them into office in 2021.
“Corruption under the the UPND regime has become very high. The report by the U.S Ambassador is testimony of increased corruption,” he said. “President Hichilema should quickly remove all corrupt elements from the health sector or the Zambians will remove him from office for failure to act on corruption, come August 2026.”
Rev Mulenga wondered what happened to the promises the UPND made about fighting corruption.
“Today we should be publicly embarrassed as a nation under President Hichilema’s watch. And why should the Zambians trust him with another five year mandate when in the last three years, he has failed to act on failures in key sectors?” he said.
Rev Mulenga said the UPND government should be held responsible over the announced support cut on drugs . He said it was shameful Zambia under the UPND could be announced publicly for stealing drugs given for free and selling them in private pharmacies.
In another interview on Friday, Community Action Against Corruption (CAAC) chief executive officer Brightone Tembo said the dysfunctional and docile Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) which was pre-occupied with fighting corruption of the past regime and deliberately casting a blind eye to the unprecedented mechanised corruption of the current government should be blamed for the mess leading to the aid cut.
Tembo said the US revelation was an indication that corruption was rife in Zambia today contrary to the falsified statistics and narrative of reduction of corruption levels peddled by ACC and some compromised civil society organisations who wanted to mislead the people.
“If ACC was a proactive corruption fighting Institution with total commitment to corruption fight, the theft of drugs which has led to life threatening withdrawal of funding by the US Government to the health sector could have been prevented,” he said.
Tembo said it was not surprising that the US government started raising concerns against corruption around its funding a long time ago, but the calls were ignored due to impunity and arrogance.
And the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia (PSZ) has urged the US government to reconsider its decision, as the cut could lead to increased mortality rates across the country.
PSZ President Keagan Mwape said in a interview that the withdrawal of support would severely impact Zambia’s already strained healthcare system.
He also called on the government to urgently engage with US authorities and work towards restoring trust and continued cooperation.
“We believe this is a moment that calls for enhanced cooperation. PSZ, therefore, proposes the creation of a collaborative platform involving the government of Zambia and other collaborative sectors, conduct a transparent review of the challenges presented , develop and implement actionable reforms to strengthen the integrity of the supply chain,” he said.
New Heritage party leader Chishala Kateka said while Muchima’s response attempted to assure the nation, the fact remained that this scandal had unfolded under the watch of the current administration.
Kateka challenged the UPND government to move beyond press statements and take real action.
“We are deeply disturbed by the recent decision of the United States Government to cut $50 million (K1.4 billion) in health sector funding due to rampant theft of medical drugs in Zambia. This is not just a diplomatic concern, it is a national crisis with direct consequences for our people, especially those battling HIV, malaria, and other life threatening conditions,” she said.
Kateka was responding to a query sent by Daily Revelation, stressing that while Muchima’s statement acknowledged systemic weaknesses and suspensions, it fell short on accountability, decisive leadership, and long term reform.
“The government must understand that restoring donor confidence requires more than reactionary measures. It requires leadership, integrity, and urgency,” said Kateka. “This is not the time for excuses. It is time for bold reforms. We stand ready to work with all Zambians regardless of political affiliation to protect lives and restore dignity to our healthcare system.”
