By Isaac Zulu
GEARS Initiative Zambia executive director MacDonald Chipenzi has said that the legislation on lifestyle audit will enhance transparency and accountability in the management of public affairs.
In an interview, Chipenzi said that lifestyle is a good tool in fighting corruption among public officials.
“That’s the best move that by the parliamentarians. As you may know, there’s a lot of speculations out there over how much wealth people in public office have. There are suspicious as to how such wealth could have been gotten through dubious means. So lifestyle audit will help to try and resolve those speculations and cleanse people who are being accused of acquiring ill-gotten wealth. It is also a tool for financial discipline for those who are appointed to public office,” Chipenzi explained. “People will be disciplined in the way they acquire their financial and material wealth, knowing that whatever I acquire now will be audited. This will enhance transparency and accountability among public officials. This is a good tool in fighting corruption. It is a tool for encouraging transparency and accountability in the management of public affairs.”
He observed that the lifestyle audit will ensure that people holding public office live within their means.
“You may be aware that before that you have people who have not worked anywhere, but they are buying ma VX8 vehicles costing maybe K900,000. And no one would take offence to that. So lifestyle audit is a very, very good move to take,” said Chipenzi. “People would want to know I have managed to buy four trucks when my salary is K2,000. People would want to know how I have managed to build a storey building when my salary is only K5,000. So with lifestyle audit people will be disciplined to live within their means.”
Chipenzi further explained that the lifestyle audit will be in tandem with the provisions of the Republican Constitution, which emphasis on the need for public officials to disclose their assets and liabilities when assuming and exiting public office.
“We hope that the legislation will soon be put in place. It should not end as a motion. We hope that in February we shall have that legislation. And if this same motion becomes law, it will be in tandem with the provisions of Article 263 of our Constitution, which talks about disclosure of assets and liabilities for public officers when when the get into office and as they exit public office,” explained Chipenzi. “We shall not be having these debates, like we are having now; of asking how much Mr (Edgar) Lungu is worth after leaving office? Or how much is Mr HH (Hakainde Hichilema) worth when assuming office? Or why should the Electoral Commission of Zambia be failing to declare these Presidential candidates? That debate will certainly come to an end because with lifestyle audit, the Commission will be able to give us that information at the right time.”
