The Zambia Youths Association in the Fight against Corruption (ZYAFAC) has urged the general citizenry and law enforcement agencies to seize the opportunity presented by the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration and President Hakainde Hichilema to consolidate the fight against corruption.
ZYAFAC Board Chairperson Kanema Rickson cited the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC),Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Zambia Police (ZP), Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), Auditor General’s Office, Faith based Organizations and other likeminded Civil Society Organisations such as Transparency International Zambia TIZ as among the firms they will unite with in the corruption fight.
Mr Rickson recollected that the fight against corruption only existed during the tenure of late President Levy Mwanawasa and since then the fight against graft has been orphaned.
In a statement to the media in Lusaka, he noted that fighting corruption has been seasonal in nature and a great challenge because only few citizens are courageous to join the fight despite having proper legal frameworks.
“We would like to seize the opportunity, through our Regional Coordinators in the 10 Provinces who coordinate our School Anti-Corruption Clubs countrywide by making them more effective while we have this rare political will and allow the fight against corruption to be owned by the Zambian Youth who constitute 70 percent of our Country’s population,” he said.
The ZYAFAC Board Chairperson pointed out that his organisation, using the 2020 up to 2023 Strategic Plan has put proper mechanisms in place on youth mobilization while conducting the National Integrity Awards once every year.
“Next year we intend to roll out these programs to colleges and Universities so as to ensure the young people take keen interest in fighting the scourge at a tender age, if the corruption fight is to be won in Zambia. Our Organisation realizes that the Youth can be very influential and have great potential in bringing about the much needed positive change and development if their potential is properly harnessed and directed in the proper way,” the statement read in part.
He further stated that annually, they receive reports from Auditor General’s Office, Financial Intelligence Centre Transparency International TI with the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and other agencies but few citizens have taken keen interest to work in addressing this problem.
Mr Rickson called upon President Hakainde Hichilema to continue being firm in the fight against corruption, in order to bring sanity in the Country.
You’re asking the Zambian police to fight corruption? They’re the most corrupt police force on the face of the earth! And they’re much too happy with that extra cash to just that up!
Just replace the lot with qualified and experienced people and watch the results speak for themselves. Anti corruption may need an expatriate who would build a new team and operate without fear otherwise recycling from the same compost pit will just result in more phone number exchanges and updates on WhatsApp group for the likes of Chimbwili.