The leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon Brian Mundubile, has raised concerns over the single-sourced procurement of drugs worth $70 million from an Egyptian company by the Zambian government. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mundubile accused the government of corruption and suggested that the procurement did not meet the criteria for single sourcing.
“The New Dawn Administration, which claimed to be fighting corruption, has made it a tradition to use single sourcing as the only mode of procurement,” Mundubile said. “The law is clear on single sourcing and what circumstances must exist before resorting to single sourcing as a mode of procurement. One of the circumstances is that a particular procurement should be an urgent one, while the other condition demands that the product being sourced be uniquely related to the company that was supplying.”
Mundubile went on to suggest that the government was using single sourcing for non-urgent procurements, such as fertiliser, and that this was evidence of corruption. He argued that the government should use an international open tender process for greater transparency and accountability in procurement.
“It is therefore, very important that for transparency and accountability purposes, Government should use an international open tender for such procurements,” he said. “In this particular case, the $70 million procurement of drugs from Egypt smells of corruption.”
Mundubile also called on the government to take note of the concerns of Zambians and to ensure that national resources are safeguarded against corruption.
“We must understand that this is not the first time that Government is procuring drugs,” he said. “There are traditional suppliers of drugs from different countries such as India, Switzerland, China and many others. Zambians will not sit back but begin to interrogate such procurements to safeguard national resources against corruption.”
The allegations raise concerns about the credibility of the government’s anti-corruption efforts under President Hichilema. The President has yet to respond to the allegations.
“There are traditional suppliers of drugs from different countries such as India, Switzerland, China and many others. Zambians will not sit back but begin to interrogate such procurements to safeguard national resources against corruption.”
PF used the same loopholes this govt is using to singlesource medical drugs legally through their proxies…PF has no game plan rather than complain they should be lobbying for policy changes of regulations that allow govts to catergorise every procurement as an emergency hence single sourcing it. PF used to single source Paracetmol tables at ridiculous prices from their Indian friends.
Following Tayali’s playbook.
If this is indeed true then the people involved better be ready to trek to and fro from ACC, DEC court etc after upnd is out just like their friends in PF are trekking now.
Zambia’s health procurement system at MOH is flawed…this is why the likes of Dr Chilufya former minister are still walking free. ACC can not do anything where the law has not been broken..this Brian Mundubile and all those crooks in the photo know how it works their main complaint is that they are not included in the house party this time.
They those crooks led by Kampyongo in the photo are the most experienced when it comes to corruption so they know it themselves.
UPND is digging its own grave as was done by PF.
Need a third force to come up to beat the neo sophisticated robbers.
Simon Mwewa Lane has two very good videos on YouTube entitled, “The Asian-Zambian Pharmaceutical Cartel And How Ps Officers Undermine The Minister Of Health”, and “Pharmaceutical Cartel”.
As Simon says, the Cartel is putting people like Brian Mundubile up to these antics. These Africans should be ashamed of themselves allowing these Indians to us them like this. They are pathetic.
They want corruption to continue because they are earning from it.
Get your lawyers to work. If its illegal it cant be carried out. Noone is above the law.
This is what politics of bitterness can do. Just imagine how many lives could have been transformed had that amount been spent in Zambia?