As the Zambia National Students Union(ZANASU), as youths we are very annoyed and express our sincere disappointment at the revelations in the Auditors General’s Report of 2015. We believe that this exercise is a sheer waste of time and money which means a waste of tax payers money because it continues to serve no purpose. We have continued to conduct national audits as a country which have had little or no bearing except being merely an academic exercise.
This is a classic example of a breach of trust on the part of govt. We see this year’s report as a clear scandal and an indictment on the PF govt to act quickly least we face a serious financial budget crisis emanating from a lack of trust from the lending community like IMF.
We can’t be talking about less harsh conditions from IMF with such levels of recklessness and gross financial indiscipline. If the promises of the President in the just ended elections to the people are to materialize, serious forethought and discipline – Fiscal and Financial – need to be in place.
It is disheartening and disgusting to say the least for us to continue borrowing money and yet lose it to a few through public theft. Honestly, Irregular Payments have jumped from K26M to K115M, even while our high learning institutions are limping on a thread of financial uncertainty. We strongly feel that Zambians are sick and tired of these reports that lack a sense of punitive measures taken by govt.
It is common sense that this signals a lack of accountability and transparency. What any ordinary Zambian will see from this is that even the current borrowing we want to engage in, is clearly borrowing to enrich a few individuals. Students at CBU are almost taking to the streets over allowances while a few individuals steal from National cofers without mention.
We are of the view that since the Auditor General’s Report is submitted to the President for tabling in National Assembly in accordance with the provisions of article 121 of the constitution of Zambia, we call upon the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to develop teeth to bite. An AGR must be a document that shows how government officers conducted their expenditures, controlling officers clarify and take corrective action on the findings of these audits.
The report includes Missing payment vouchers, Unsupported payments, Unapproved payment vouchers, Failure to provide expenditure details, Failure to remit statutory contributions, Irregularities in payment of salaries and allowances, Failure to surcharge Erring officers, Missing payment vouchers, Failure to remit tax, Failure to commerce works, Weaknesses in the management of bank accounts, Unsupported payments,l Unaccounted payments, Unaccounted for revenue and Misappropriation of funds.
We have observed that in the 2015,auditor general’s report is that many development projects in spite of some funds being available in many cases where not implemented. For what use are good plans and policies if they are not being implemented? A lot of work goes to planning but unfortunately implementation is what we lack. Moving from activity based assessment to result based assessment is what the government should embark on.
We are alive to the fact that just next door here in Uganda they also just completed their audit and govt through its Public Accounts Committee has requested erring firms to pay back to a tune of 47Billion Shillings. If govt doesn’t move in the next likely step is that the cooperating partners will individually request refunds of wrongfully spent funds, in accordance with bilateral agreements and the share of cooperating partners’ individual contributions.
In China and some other Asia countries, the penalty for convicted corrupt officials is death by hanging. France once upon a time used that approach. Ghana once executed all corrupt officials before their economy could make sense. Today Ghana Cedi has far greater worth than the Kwacha, Pula and Naira. Unless these corrupt people are packed like sardines inside one prison a for minimum of ten years with all their money stripped from them we may never live well in this country.
How do we attract investment because good laws means good business – in any market. At its core, a society based on the rule of law is one in which all actors including governments, business and individuals are equally accountable to clear and predictable laws. While the Auditor General’s report on spending highlights the point at home, there are daily reminders around the globe – Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the South China Sea, Bangladesh, U.S. law enforcement, the FIFA boardroom – that significant work still needs to be done here in Zambia.
Responsible governance of the country’s resources begins with those who control the purse strings and set the priorities for expenditure, unlike failing to reconcile with reasons why Zambia should be borrowing on shylock’s terms only to still pour that money down the drain.
We want to take this opportunity to warn the opposition UPND in particular that elections are over, now Zambians expect them to concentrate on things that matter to them, instead of parading themselves on news saying they don’t recognise the Republican President, Zambians want them to be relevant by strongly coming out on this report and providing the much needed checks and balances. They owe Zambians that and not carry on a culture of cynicism and lack of interest in what matters to the people.
OUR appeal goes to the President to rescue us from the quicksand of debt and employ well considered solutions and stimulus packages. We need a clearly articulated map of how this document will not end up on the shelves but the President must personally deal with these thieves because Zambians have entrusted him with that responsibility to which he swore oath.
In conclusion, it is our hope that when suspicions of fraudulent activities occur in our expenditures especially that our spending is highly externally funded under programs funded by the tax-payers of donor countries, it is of outmost importance that they are followed-up and acted upon. It is highly presumptuous of the custodians of our resources to keep borrowing without a conceivable return and commitment against plunder. It is time to stop the borrowing for consumption and get on with the work of truly fuelling and powering all engines in the economy and not sit back and allow our country to be an extension of a mining company’s balance sheet.
LONG LIVE ZANASU!
THANK YOU, AT STUDENTS SERVICE.
GOD BLESS OUR GREAT NATION ZAMBIA!
By PRINCE J. NDOYI
Outgoing ZANASU V. PRESIDEN
Editor’s Note
Download 2015 Report Here
Very good presentation, Mr Ndovi. You argue your points very well and I hope you sent a copy of this statement to State house. It is really disheartening to see how civil servants no longer care about order. A few years back, you wouldn’t get a money from government without payment vouchers but it seems now, nobody cares. The solutions lie in simply rounding up the controlling officers for inefficiency and they will tell you who has got what without proper authorisation. The thieves are known and can easily be prosecuted. The problem is that even the prosecuting authorities are beneficiaries of this corruption.
By default of being born black and African- you have a low IQ compared to persons born outside of Africa.
The London School of Economics is embroiled in a row over academic freedom after one of its lecturers published a paper alleging that African states were poor and suffered chronic ill-health because their populations were less intelligent than people in richer countries.
This is personafies by the way elections were conducted, the president ‘s sudden wealth and really what YOU perceive as Lusaka doing well.
Let a white-man like Scott be president, your countries will make greater strides
Thanks
BB2014
That’s the mature way of doing things my fellow students whenever we want to communicate something not destroying innocent citizens properties. Well articulated! Indeed its just an academic exercise. This PF government has no backbone to fight corruption worse still bring the culprits to book
I said this when the report came out. Save money, get rid of the AG and the entire staff. Let us just borrow and spend.
Typical African way of doing things. despicable!
Iwe ndoyi have you been bribed by the PF to say those things or what?
Student union of nowaday lack potence. They let a regime walk over them as if they have no brains.
During our time we agitated thr government of UNIP until KK surrendered.
Back to the topic. The report is a good thing to show the public how these PF thugs are stealing the country ‘ s resources with impunity. Only time will tell when all the embezzlers will be brought to book.
With such recklessness the IMF is not ready to give mutati a good deal.
It was HH IMF would have given aloan to Zambia HH ‘s terms because they trust him to manage the money properly knowing that he is not interested in stealing any penny from government.
OUR CHILDREN ARE RIGHT WITH THEIR OBSERVATIONS. PURE WASTE OF RESOURCES AND TIME INDEED. IN ZAMBIA PERPETRATORS OF MISAPPROPRIATION, CORRUPTION AND LOOTING ARE NEVER BROUGHT TO BOOK. OFFICERS WHO MISAPPROPRIATE PUBLIC FUNDS ARE NEVER PUNISHED, WORSE STILL IN THE PF GOVERNMENT UNDER LUNGU’S LEADERSHIP.ZAMBIA SHALL CONTINUE TO WALLOW IN ABJECTY POVERTY AND MISERY AS LONG AS WE DO NOT ABANDON OUR WRONG MIND SET OF PRAISING AND BOOTLIKING THOSE IN POWER EVEN WHEN THEY DO A LOT OF UNETHICAL THINGS WHILE SERVING THE CITIZENS. POLITICIANS SHOULD BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE BY US THE ELECTORATES. WE ARE NOT HERE TO HERO-WORSHIP A POLITICIAN, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHOM WE KNOW TO BE THIEVES.
Decoration to confuse the user.
What decoration? Now you will accuse the office of AG of working with the opposition..this is the mindset of lazy reckless people
The English call it BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.
Mr. Ndoyi should be addressing the disappointment & frustration to the Govt NOT at Auditor-General.
Obviously he’s one of the brainwashed PF00LS. It’s either too scared to criticize his supreme/demi-god leader LUNGU or he’s a beneficiary of the missing funds.
No nation has prospered where crooked lazy citizens outnumber the honest hard-working citizens. The influx & extensive rebreeding of crooked tribes from N/E Rhodesia, Zaire & Malawi has become our downfall.
Office of AG is impotent and can only be empowered by the will of the govt….if the govt has no will to address this issue its a non starter; go next door to Tanzania and you will see first hand what I mean.
The Office of the AG is impotent and I feel for the so called professionals who work there…waking up in morning checking in at 9 in the morning and out at 5….the levels of recklessness and fiscal indiclipine is more like an achievement to the likes of Lazy Lungu and tins!!
Super stealing and innefficiency exposed.
What he said – DISGUSTING!
Is this the Government people wantentd, if this can hapen in 1year 8 months what will hapen in 5 years time?
We kicked out MMD for corruption..but under PF gross fiscal indisclipine is shocking at least under MMD the small fish were arrested but in Lazy Lungus govt its so ingrained that it goes all the way to State House.
My proposal is to make PAC a court, where if a Chief Exccutive Officer or who is in retirement and who was directly involved in financial mismanagement is found guilty, there should be two doors. The Green door leads to outside, for those not found guilty. The red door must be for those found guilty and must lead to a waiting Police Kasalanga (high truck carrying criminals) and driven straight to Jail.
Without implementing this kind of arrangement, then there is indeed no value in spending so much maney by the Auditor General to come up with annual audit reports.
Sound like an empty head instead of open mind.
What do you expect in a country where some people are seeing coming out of state house flashing bundles of cash openly? This is a rotten society and it will take people with sound minds like John Magufuli to come and implement punitive measures. The auditor-general’s annual reports in this country have been rendered useless because the officers who are found wanting never get arrested or prosecuted. And so people continue misapplying funds with impunity.
Where were ZANUSU or whatever you call yourselves when lungu was stealing votes?
It is realy diaspointing.We have a peculiar case in one named province where a ps can allow junior officers to withdraw a k50,000 just for them to share because they are broke.When the auditor questions,he is disciplined because this boss thinks the head of state is a friend.
We need to change our mind set if this country has to develop with or without IMF coming to our aid.
What you describe is the essence of a failed state! And let me guess, the friend of the head of state is from the thieving tribes, right? That’s the problem with Zambia – thieves have keys to the national treasury.
SONTAPO!!
Enjoy Zambians, enjoy.
Well done Mr Ndoyi – good review. This, however, has been going on for years. We’ve inherited systems from the colonial era which mean nothing to the governing. I agree with some of the bloggers here saying that we have a nation full of lazy bums hanging around looking to defraud those honest few working hard to pay their taxes. The saddest thing’s being a donor dependent nation. There’s no way we can move out of quagmire without drastic changes to our constitution. But, as we all know and have seen, people that enter politics in Zambia are mostly hyenas. Our country has no chance in hell to change, unless something drastic happens, a la Gerry Rawlins. There are people who can effect change, but they cannot because power lies in the cadres and gerrymanderers.
A very well articulated article with a smooth flow of thought. Iam particularly glad that our education system despite being suffocated by insufficient funding can still shun out such fine brains. That aside, someone said a lie can not stand because it has no legs and how ever long it takes a day of reckoning is coming for those who are plundering the economy of this country at the expense of majority Zambians. One day a MAGUFULI OR a JERRY RAWLINS will rule this country and that day is coming very soon.
The police and state security wings need support for these people abusing public funds to be brought to book.If there is no support from stakeholders,we shall continue singing the same song of Zambia being backward.
Ironically the AG’s report is candid and over the years has actually come out with damning revelations of irregular financial behavior on the part of government. Paradoxically, though, it is the very fact that nothing happens after a report is issued by the AG’s Office is PRECISELY the reason why a lot of very disturbing facts about how government is running its financial affairs is being unveiled to the public. What we need is a good law to kick-start kicking the little behinds of all these culprits while protecting the continued efficacy of the AG’s Office. We start by ensuring AG is NOT appointed by parliament or the presidency!
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE OPPOSITION COMES IN HERE WHEN THEIR CASE IS STRAIGHT FORWARD – PF GOVERNMENT IS ILLEGAL IN POWER. BESIDES WHAT THE REPORT REVEALS BEING IN POWER ILLEGITIMATELY IS ANOTHER PROBLEM. FOR UPND TO TO GO THE ZANASU ROOT MEANS ENDORSING THE LUNGU ILLEGITIMACY. FIRST THINGS FIRST; THE ELECTION RESULTS ISSUE IS NOT OVER. OTHERWISE THE AGR’S IRREGULARITIES WILL ALSO BE TREATED IN LIKE MANNER. THAT IS THE CULTURE OF ZAMBIANS OF NOT TAKING THINGS SERIOUSLY. WHEN ONE COMES SQUARELY WITH REALITY IT SUDDENLY IT BECOMES TRIBALISM! ABASH!
They call it Sontapo and Dununa reverse.