United Progressive Party leader Dr Savior Chishimba will today report two cabinet ministers and two former ministers for their roles in the corruption that characterized the much publicized Public-Private bus empowerment scheme.
The serving ministers to be reported is Youth and Sports minister Moses Mawere and his counter part from Home Affires Stephen Kampyongo.
Dr Chishimba said he has overwhelming evidence to ensure that justice prevails. Others mentioned are Mr Yamfwa Munkanga who is former Minister for Works and Supply as well as Col Panji Kaunda is a former Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Communication.
Below is a statement the opposition leader posted on his Facebook on 12th,January 2017, regarding the same issue.
We in the United Progressive People (UPP) are seriously concerned with the embezzlement of youth empowerment funds by an illegal committee of the Public and Private Drivers Association of Zambia (PPDAZ).
This illegal committee headed by a Mr. Josias Majuru and deputised by a Mr. Joséph Chirwa (currently under detention for dealing in drugs) has the full backing of the Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Stephen Kampyongo and the Minister of Youth and Sport, Hon. Moses Mawere.
We have thoroughly reviewed the evidence, documentary and audio, and it is non-arguable that the curtail which includes senior officials in the Ministry of Youth and Sport is being used by politicians to embezzle funds which are meant for youth empowerment.
Based on the evidence before UPP, our legal team is working on a detailed report showing how funds have been embezzled and justice perverted by former and current ministers over the past five years. We shall issue a detailed statement before the end of next week on this.
Thousands of young people have since the launch of the Higer Bus Empowerment Project by President Michael C. Sata of blessed memory been subjected to paying K1, 500 each with the expectation that they would receive the buses in groups of seven. So far the total amount which has been collected from contributions is over K5 million.
The other expectation of the youth is that they would receive funding from the millions of Kwacha being generated from the fleet of buses. We have credible evidence on deposits that have been made to date.
Contrary to this expectation, the illegal committee has been stealing the money while lining the pockets of Ministers. Our audio evidence will confirm the rot which has been going on by Ministers who have reduced themselves to puppets of criminals who have hijacked the whole project in the name of the PF and yet the PF youth and other deserving members are not even involved.
A couple of weeks ago, the youth protested at the Lusaka Provincial Administration Headquarters. Hon Japhen Mwakalombe called President Edgar Lungu who advised him to take the matter to the Minister of Youth.
Accordingly, Hon. Mwakalombe went to see the Minister of Youth in the company of the youth. A few were selected to go into the Minister’s office. To the dismay of the youth, Majuru and his drug dealing deputy (Joséph Chirwa) were found sitting comfortably with Hon. Mawere.
We commend the courage and leadership which Mr. Kennedy Kamba (Lusaka PF youth Chairman) demonstrated by rebuking Hon. Mawere for going to bed with the illegal committee. Mr. Kamba has stood in solidarity with the deserving young people who are not even PF members – this is political maturity.
In the meeting, the Minister of Youth openly defended corruption. Hon Kampyongo has also stood on the side of corruption over this matter. How can thousands of young people be sacrificed for Majuru and his illegal committee? The same Majuru has become a terror to the youth and he openly brags that not even the President can touch him.
Young people in Luangwa protested by stopping the GRZ buses from loading, but the drug dealer Joséph Chirwa hired thugs from Lusaka to go and beat up the youth who were protesting for a right cause. Instead of arresting Chirwa, innocent souls are being incarcerated. Justice has however prevailed against Chirwa who has been arrested for drug related offenses – he was arrested by DEC three days ago.
This issue is a time bomb. We are receiving thousands of phone calls from the thousands of young people whose money has been looted. In recent months Majuru and friends have been collecting additional K1, 500 from the youth with the promise that they (youth) would be trained in youth entrepreneurship before getting the buses. While these unsuspecting innocent youth are being made to pay for workshops, ZDA is not charging PPDAZ for facilitating the training.
We have credible information that the youth from the Copperbelt want to hire buses to storm the offices of Ministers who are suspected to be on the payroll of the illegal committee.
Surely, what has become of this government? Where is the government? Whose interests is the government serving? These young people have a credible complaint but no one is giving them the Justice they deserve. They have reported to the ACC, but we believe that they (ACC) have not acted due to the involvement of Ministers.
It is our prayer that the PF-MMD Government will be wise enough to regularise all anomalies and ensure that elections are conducted to usher in a new committee of genuine young people. A forensic audit must also be done immediately so that all the culprits can be prosecuted.
One of the accounts into which millions of Kwacha have been deposited and looted is account number14-07-1-0220224-014 at Investrust Bank. Our evidence includes deposit slips showing huge funds that the drivers have been depositing ever since the first fleet of fourteen buses came as well as the latest fleet of twenty eight big higer buses.
We humbly urge President Edgar Lungu to take keen interest in this matter and probe Hon. Kampyongo and Hon. Mawere for the role they have played is defending corruption and illegalities. The President should not just be seen to raise lamentations on the corruption of Ministers – he must decisively act.
It’s a joke that the GRZ youth Empowerment Buses are running without proper receipts and other accountability mechanisms.
We shall announce other measures which UPP will be taking to ensure that the benefits trickle down to the many unemployed young people in our nation.
UPP shall has several cases of corruption over which we want the government to act and correct all the wrongs for the sake of national interests. We shall surgically move from one case to the other until the government is cleansed.
We have stated before that the time to act against corruption is now. We cannot wait until we form the next government because the lives of millions of Zambians are at stake. Corruption has destroyed nations and we don’t want Zambia to be destroyed before our eyes.
God bless our nation!
Imwe ba LT, which party is UPPD? ya new?
Interesting case from Savior Chishimba but am afraid it has short legs knowing enough how ACC operates. Had ACC been autonomous enough without any form of interference from the executive, the four culprits mentioned stand no chance before the law
Mr Chishimba, please don’t threaten to spill the beans. Put your dossier together, go to ACC and PFolice, and only then you can start talking about what you have found and know. The culture of talking without facts must stop. We know that PF is rotten and those with facts should come forward instead of posting on Facebook.
I will come back for this one. Interesting cases.
This guy is talking nonsense. Alenya fye ama sushi kukanwa uyu….bwibwibwi…lol
i have always never liked Kampyongo. He is loud for nothing and my dislike confirms it. Its the stench of corruption. This regime is corrupt from head to toe. By the time Zambians wake up from this horror, a lot of people would have died of hunger because of a handful of selfish individuals. What’s funny is almost all Lungu’s ministers are involved or alleged to be involved in corruption. He’s rate of firing these corrupt ministers is very worrying. One Minister per year…
PLEASE EXPOSE AND IF ACC DOES NOTHING THEN I THINK WE THE PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA SHOULD RISE UP AND HAVE PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS AND STRIKES. BY THE WAY HAVE THE MINISTERS PAID BACK THE MONEY OR HAS THIS GONE INTO THE CLOSET.
That money will not be paid back as long as PF is in power. What is that common saying in Bemba?Umulandu taubola.No matter how long it takes payback time will definitely come.
We told you that PF is rotten to the core.
To agree with an adage of old. ‘A fish is seen to rot from its head’.
more questions than answers zambia tefintu
Act on it Mr.president show a difference. Look at Tanzanian President he is the best at the moment in Africa. You are the only one who can fight for the poor don’t be one of the exploiters.
I m a zambian working here in lusaka this minster kampyongo guy is bad news he is running hia minstery as it is his house deporting people who have resided in this country for 50 years have all th properties in zambia how can u do so this person i know him since last 40 yeats no crime committed or any thing he has helped a lot of people c how this minstry works
Comment: At the the rate this UPP president is disclosing these shoddy deals alleged being committed by the leaders in Government, i am afraid the aim is make the citizens loose interest in their Popularly elected leaders. The president should allow the ACC to fully do their work on such allegations without necessarily fearing to loose those close to him.
I agree.
Those Kawalala’s including Kaizer, & Tyson’s concubine “M@tako a soft”- Siliya, are probably the Directors, & major share holders in “KALOSWE Maizegate corporation”
Go on Dr. We are tired of thieves. Everyone is going in politics to steal. They are all thieves even the ones who lost elections.