By Mubanga Mubanga
Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) chapter president Priscilla Chansa says Solicitor General Marshal Muchende, Information permanent secretary Thabo Kawana and Central Province permanent secretary Milner Mwanakampwe have been named in corruption allegations, yet nothing has been done to them.
Speaking during the second quarter press briefing in Lusaka today, Chansa said despite the pronouncements of zero tolerance to corruption by the executive, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the Auditor General’s reports have continued to record high levels of suspected corruption and abuse of public resources.
“Indeed, the elephant in the room cannot be ignored: high-ranking state officers including the Solicitor General, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information, and the permanent secretary for Central Province have been publicly named in corruption allegations, yet to date, no visible action has been taken,” Chansa said. “At the same time, both the Financial Intelligence Centre and Auditor General’s reports continue to record high levels of suspected corruption, abuse and misuse of public resources, despite repeated pronouncements of ‘zero tolerance’ by the executive. These gaps expose how the existing legal framework has remained unsupportive, particularly in shielding state officers from accountability.”
Chansa said there was a selective corruption fight.
She said members of the ruling party who were under investigations were not mentioned, but, those from the opposition were publicly named.
“A key concern raised was the way corruption cases involving ruling party members are treated differently from those opposition figures. When an opposition figure is being investigated, their names and details are quickly made public and in many cases, prosecutions follow. Yet, when little or no information is provided, and the public is left in the dark,” Chansa said.
“The explanation often given is that, naming suspects can compromise investigations, but it is important to note that not naming them can equally compromise investigations, as secrecy creates room for political interference, selective shielding, and erosion of public trust. This double standard fuels perceptions of impunity and undermines the credibility of the fight against corruption.”
Chansa said the UPND government had failed to fulfill its campaign promise of declaration of assets.
She stressed that all the senior elected officials, President Hakainde Hichilema included, had failed to declare their assets and this was despite it being a cornerstone of the modern anti-corruption fight.
“Similarly, political financing regulations remain a non-priority for the administration, despite their critical importance in curbing undue influence and illicit money in politics. Without reforms in these areas, citizens will continue to question whether those in power are willing to subject themselves to the same transparency standards expected of others,” Chansa said.
She also said key legal reforms such as the Anti-Corruption Act, and Access to Information Act (ATI) remained stalled under the UPND government.
“Meanwhile, the ATI Act, though enacted, is not fully operationalised, and citizens still struggle to access records that should be public. There is also no legal framework for annual declaration of assets, and no consistent practice for lifestyle audits, which undermines public confidence,” Chansa said.
She said that unexplained wealth orders had resulted in some forfeitures, but stakeholders expressed concern that their application appeared skewed towards opposition figures, with little evidence of use against those close to the ruling party.
Chansa however, said the UPND had demonstrated progress in some areas which included the appointment of the director general at ACC.
“The government has strengthened anti-corruption institutions by appointing a new Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) board and director-general, and significantly increasing funding from about K73 million in 2021 to nearly K180 million in 2025,” Chansa said. “The introduction of rules under the Economic and Financial Crimes Court has allowed for quicker disposal of some high-profile cases. Importantly, Parliament enacted the Access to Information Act in December 2023 and issued a commencement order in June 2024. This demonstrated a historic step towards transparency.”
Chansa said TI-Z recommended to the government to operationalise the ATI Act, amend the Anti-Corruption Act, reignite political will beyond the Presidency by embedding measurable anti-corruption benchmarks in performance contracts and making leadership changes where integrity lapses were evident among other recommendations.
