$13 Million Ambulance Scandal Exposes Irregularities in UPND Government’s Procurement Processes
A storm is brewing over the controversial $13 million procurement of ambulances under Zambia’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF), a project meant to enhance grassroots healthcare services. Instead, it has become a symbol of bureaucratic inefficiency and possible corruption, casting doubt on the government’s commitment to transparency and public accountability.
The scandal came to light during hearings by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Bwana Mkubwa MP Warren Mwambazi. PAC is scrutinizing the Auditor General’s report on Zambia’s financial accounts for the year ending December 31, 2023. Among the flagged issues was the procurement of 156 ambulances by the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Health, and the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA).
Despite spending K336,173,760 (approximately $13 million) on the project, only 11 ambulances have been delivered a full year after the procurement process was completed. The delivery deadline has been repeatedly extended, raising questions about the project’s oversight and management.
The procurement process has drawn significant criticism for its irregularities. Open public tendering, a requirement for government contracts to ensure fairness and competition, was bypassed in favor of selective bidding. Officials justified this decision by categorizing the procurement as an emergency. However, the glaring delays in delivery undermine this justification.
Under normal circumstances, emergency procurement allows for limited bidding to address immediate needs. Yet ZAMMSA chose to award contracts to Ace Pharmaceuticals and Aqueous Investments neither of which are accredited dealers or manufacturers of Toyota Land Cruisers, the vehicles specified for the ambulances. This decision sidelined official franchise holders like Toyota Zambia, who could have provided after-sales service and warranties.
Even more damning is the revelation that the contracts signed in June 2023 stipulated a delivery timeline of 16 to 20 weeks. By June 2024, all 156 ambulances were to be delivered, but this deadline has now been pushed to December 2024, with an additional extension requested for February 2025.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government defended the delays, claiming that meeting the contractual timeline was “impossible.” The PAC was unimpressed, particularly given that the procurement process had been framed as an emergency.
Further scrutiny reveals questionable decisions that compound the scandal. Officials from the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Health, and ZAMMSA traveled to Dubai to inspect the ambulances’ assembly. This trip, far from expediting the project, has been criticized as an unnecessary expense. Moreover, the decision to involve middlemen rather than direct manufacturers is seen as an attempt to inflate costs.
The average cost of each ambulance is $288,000, a price critics argue is significantly higher than what could have been achieved through competitive bidding. This has fueled allegations that the procurement process was designed to benefit specific individuals or companies at the expense of public funds.
Civil society organizations and opposition leaders have seized on the scandal to call for accountability. “This is a betrayal of public trust,” one activist said. “The UPND government campaigned on promises of transparency and zero tolerance for corruption, yet we are witnessing the same old mismanagement.”
The fallout has extended beyond government offices. The CDF, intended to decentralize development and provide critical support to underserved communities, has now been tainted by this controversy. Healthcare workers and rural residents, the supposed beneficiaries of the ambulances, continue to face challenges in accessing emergency services.
In a bid to salvage its reputation, ZAMMSA issued a public statement acknowledging the delays but offered no concrete measures to address the situation. The agency reiterated its commitment to the revised delivery schedule but provided little assurance that it would avoid similar mishandling in future projects.
This scandal has broader implications for President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration. His government has made bold pronouncements about tackling corruption and promoting good governance. In recent speeches, President Hichilema emphasized the importance of accountability, declaring, “There will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.”
However, the ambulance procurement debacle directly contradicts these assurances, raising concerns about the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures under the UPND government. The lack of transparency, the engagement of middlemen, and the repeated delays suggest systemic issues that require urgent attention.
Zambians are watching closely as the PAC hearings unfold. The revelations have sparked widespread outrage, with citizens demanding justice and immediate reforms in public procurement practices. For a government that promised to be different, this scandal is a critical test of its credibility.
As the dust settles, one question remains: will the UPND administration rise to the occasion and hold those responsible to account, or will this be yet another entry in Zambia’s long history of corruption and mismanagement? For now, the answers remain elusive, but the pressure is mounting for action.
Chansa Bwalya
Garbage out Garbage in…Bandits out Bandits in….same script but different actors…ALL POLITICIANS ARE CONMEN
If others have taken Mopani….let others also chew from the Ambulances.
How can a country prosper like this?
Zambians thought it happened in previous
Government but looks it’s getting worse in
New dawn.Already FIC had signalled it.
There’s incompetence everywhere you look and I hope it’s not corruption. Tuli mubwafya maningi…
Heads should roll………
Scandels like this are unacceptable…….
The president should take a personal intrest in this case………..
Also, why are we going for an ambulance that costs more than a 1/4er of million dollars ??
India and parkistan use Toyota hiace mini vans as ambulances perfectly well, costing under $100,000 each……..
This is a case of the awarding officers being scammed by fake suppliers or companies they awarded the contracts to……….
Than when zambian companies are sidelined, you cry ??
Our good brother Spaka has finally woken up….its good to be a Patriot…congratulations brother Spaka like lilo
Anonymous
I support HH because there is no alternative, he can make amends……..
I dont just support fooo.lishness like most here for the tribal or village reasons…
Forwadee 2031……
We are in the age of SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. EACH MAN FOR HIMSELF GOD FOR US ALL.
In 13 million dollars you can build 10 hospitals. Why the rush for ambulances?
Afrikaconnector has fully equipped Ambulances going ar 430,000 and we notified the Ministry of Health and various stakeholders. We went a step further to engage Zambia Development Agency with the proposal to setup an Ambulance refurbishment production hub in Lusaka but the reluctance was huge but this story explains everything
430,000 dollars or Kwacha?
Deja Vu lyrics….it was there in the beginning, it’s here now, and will be there world without end. The only thing that will save us is to ask King Charles to send a governor to come run the country for us.
WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND British aid to take over our councils again
Brilliant idea, let’s take it to parliament urgently please
I keep telling you guys it has nothing to do with a party in government. It is a ZAMBIAN problem. Crooks will jump to the next viable platform as soon as the one they have stripped sinks. Ni so cabe. We will soon see a new set of crooks lining up to gather our trust… OH!!! And don’t forget the civil servants. Ndiye muli a mambala bad kind muja! Forget the politician!
It is a mind set thing……….
With every opportunity for work……..
The first thing that comes to mind is to get paid, second thing that comes to mind is…….
To do as little work as possible, if possible ,no work at all, third ………
To steal outright if possible……
But if you’re sharp citizens you will have noticed that corruption is assisted by the head of the executive otherwise known as the president.
For example: Mweetwa and Kawana are being paid salaries corruptly. They don’t do their job. They have no job descriptions!! Ask them and they won’t be able to tell you what they are paid for. Sishuwa and John Sangwa ask government to explain this kind of illicit expenditure.
That’s why Sishure squared says arrest criminals. Do not target political opponents by party or by tribe
#Spaka… you were saying they are remnants of the PF and Bembas but now a full blown Tonga Upnd member is involved you say it’s to do with the MIND SET. All GRZ departments have been “cleansed” but crime doubled. Explain to me why is this so.
Deja Vu
Even lungu told you………
Out of 10 theives, 7 are from the North…….
3 can be from anywhere else in zambia……..
I suppose this case shows that this one is part of the 3 theives that are not bemba and is tonga …….
Forwadee 2031
Sadly the minister has admitted and sees nothing wrong with his PS awarding himself the contract….. because there is corruption in all ministries.
I think GRZ should stop down payments…….
Zambian companies are mostly crooks with their networks in GRZ………
If you want down payment, take the contract to the bank to get down payment…….
Payment in full on delivery of goods or services……..
Forwadee 2031
I have said it before and will say it again. In Zambia stealing has become our culture, like it or not but it’s true. We’re thieves.
@concerned I have worked for government for 20 years and I haven’t stolen anything. Colleagues say “nine watulo” because everytime they have a trip they retire imprest with fake receipts. Me, I always bring back money that I haven’t spent and everyone laughs at me. My religion doesn’t allow me to steal.
Why should an ambulance cost $288, 000 ??
Look up Toyota hiace ambulance……
The costs are well under $100k………
This is another PF fire truck robbery of the tax payers
Frowadee 2031
PF are not in government. This is another UPND robbery of the taxpayers.
You can get an ambulance assembled in Zambia at the equivalent of about 50,000 US dollars
In normal countries a civil servant or a municipal council employee reporting for work in an expensive Mercedes Benz car would be target for investigation. Here NO… since the bosses benefit from this evil ie stealing from government.
PF and UPND, same same. Draw draw
Just like PF cadres who benefitted during their time are now losing all their properties in addition to jail terms so shall it be with upnd.
Now we know what is going on the ground we can only push for answers!! of which in our previous gov this was a darkness activities!!!
Where have you been living?
Their aim was to come into government and become rich..all the promises were mere baits and unfortunately the Zambian fish swallowed hook, sinker and line.
That new minister was too excited when he got transferred to MoH… not for the new challenge but the opportunity to plunder.
This is how Zambians get scamed of their own Money all the time………
Eyes are wide open looking at the wrong things……….
Even if the ambulances are delivered, a major scale would have happened……..
Why are we paying for luxury ambulances ??
Why should an ambulance cost
$288 000……??
More that 1/2 a million dollars ??……….
When perfectly operational ambulances cost less than 100 k $……????? With change…….
This should cause an outcry, it is corruption at the highest order……….
I hope PF picks up on this and gives GRZ the same beans they were given when in government over the $1 million fire trucks………
Maybe the delay is even a gimmick to mask the true scam , which is the price of the ambulances………
Forwadee 2031
…….more than a 1/4 of a million dollars……
“Eyes are wide open looking at the wrong things”
How true! Eyes are wide open looking at traditional ceremonies while, right under his nose, thieves are operating.
HH wake up! Your thieves are doing the wrong things.
Ministry of health how did you determine that people need ambulances and not clinics or hospitals?
This looks like you went for what would bring money into your pockets. In my village in Luangwa people have been living without a hospital for 100 years. Is an ambulance gonna arrive with a doctor and maternity staff and ENT specialists? Priorities ba chilolo priorities.