Inspector General of Police, Mr Kakoma Kanganja has called for the identification and arrest of all political cadres involved in the violence which happened in Chimanja ward of Kalundu area in Chilanga Constituency.

The violence which occurred yesterday was reported to have happened when supporters of the UPND were passing near the Camp of the Patriotic Front which ultimately resulted into cadres from both Political Parties throwing stones at each other.

Medical reports have been issued to the injured both from the Patriotic Front and the UPND.

All those that will be found to be responsible of perpertrating violence will be dealt with accordingly regardless of their political affiliation.

The Inspector General has directed officers in the campaign zones to intensify foot and motorised patrols during day and night and remain firm but fair as they deal with such situations.

The Zambia Police has been calling on all Political Parties to submit Campaign Schedules for planning purposes so as to avoid clashes between cadres of opposing Political Parties.

“We therefore reiterate our earlier call for all Political parties taking part in the Chilanga by election to submit their campaign schedules to Police as soon as possible so as to avoid such occurrences, ” conclude the statement issued to the media by Zambia Police Spokesperson, Esther Katongo.

Former Republican President Rupiah Banda has challenged the commonwealth to clearly come out on their stance to support a Zambian led dialogue process so as to end the debate on who should led the forth coming political dialogue process.

The UPND has continued to insist that the dialogue process should be led by the commonwealth even after it pronounced that it supported a home grown dialogue process prompting the former head of state to call on them to be categorical on their stance.

Speaking when the Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue board members paid a courtesy call on him at his his farm house on Saturday Mr Banda said there was need for stakeholders to rally behind ZCID and ensure that dialogue process was a success adding that there was need to find peace before the country starts looking for solutions to other challenges.

“The summery of all I said is that if we try to solve all the problems in order to have unity we will work for the next hundred years and we will never agree, we are different people……

“…If we can’t find the solutions, if we get to accept that our leader is Edgar Lungu because we can’t have a country without a leader, now it is this leader who has to accommodate all of us that is my main point from what I was saying and the solution lies right there.

“And with the commonwealth we need to tell them also that since you are saying that dialogue should be Zambian led come out and say so and stop coming or if you come; come through us. Give us the resources to find the solution and let’s work together to do this but you can’t say it should be Zambian led and at the same time the opposition is saying we want it to be led by you and you not saying anything about it…. They must help us find the solution because we agree that they have a role to play, we have to work together to do this and it will be easier for our President to accept them,” he said.

He added that outsiders were envious of the peace that the country enjoys hence the need to work together in ensuring that peace continues to prevail.

“…but if we try to find solutions first before we have peace, that my fear there is so much tension which is not necessary butsiders, you know I had visitors from South Africa they said you can’t believe how peaceful this country is seo but tikuti kulye peace but the people who come from outside say this paradise,” he said.

And the former Head of State bemoaned the high levels of tribalism that has gripped the country.

He said the tribal divisions being experienced in the country today was unheard of during the time they were growing up and that the country would harvest what it was sowing was not curtailed.

ZCID has in the past few weeks been meeting key stakeholders in readiness for the political dialogue process.

A group of civil society organizations have labeled Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya’s response to revelations of gross theft of medicines at Medical Stores as arrogant and casual.

The CSO’s who held a press briefing on Friday to react to Dr Chilufya’s statement in which he described the Global Funds findings as “old news” said the Health Minister’s arrogance over the issue is worrying.

The CSO leaders have since appealed to President Edgar Lungu to fire Dr Chilufya in order to safeguard the country’s image which they says is being dented by scandals such as the Global Fund’s.

“We take note of the lengthy statement given by the minister of health to the media in response to this matter, but the explanations are not sufficient. It is clear that the Ministry of Health was negligent in its duty to prudently manage resources entrusted to it for the Zambian people,” they said in a joint statement.

“Why must you parade the media and tell them that the president is categorical and clear on the fight against theft when we are receiving scandal after scandal, report after report and nothing is being done?” They questioned.

They added, “If the ministers are not firing their negligent controlling officers, we urge the president to fire those ministers whose ministries are being cited for mischief in order to assert that he indeed will not tolerate theft. It is amazing that before people have even finished reading one disheartening report about public resource mismanagement, another report is out.”

Below is the full statement

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL ZAMBIA, ACTION AID ZAMBIA AND OTHER CSOs CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMAGE DAMAGING REPORT FROM GLOBAL FUND AND COUNSELS GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CHARGE OF THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORT AND ADDRESS THEIR FINDINGS

Transparency International Zambia, Action Aid Zambia and other CSOs in Zambia are deeply saddened by the image damaging Global fund’s investigation report which unearthed theft of drugs and other medical products as well as misdirection of over $ 1.06 million meant to better the health system of Zambia.

The CSOs are particularly disappointed that the country seems to be going backwards and not forward when it comes to issues of transparency and accountability in the public sector.

It is very evident from the report findings that the Ministry of Health did not do due diligence in terms of safe guarding the medical supplies donated to the Zambian government.

As organisations that attach great importance to accountability in public resource management, especially those meant for the social sectors, we are more concerned because this particular issue is bordering on the health of citizens of this country.

We feel concerned that at the point when donor support is dwindling, our public institutions are demonstrating such levels of irresponsibility. We are alive to the fact that such a report is not only damaging to the country’s image, but also confirms that there no serious mechanisms put in place by the current government to fight the pilfering of public resources by civil servants.

We take note of the lengthy statement given by the minister of health to the media in response to this matter, but the explanations are not sufficient. It is clear that the Ministry of Health was negligent in its duty to prudently manage resources entrusted to it for the Zambian people.

Why must you parade the media and tell them that the president is categorical and clear on the fight against theft when we are receiving scandal after scandal, report after report and nothing is being done? If the ministers are not firing their negligent controlling officers, we urge the president to fire those ministers whose ministries are being cited for mischief in order to assert that he indeed will not tolerate theft. It is amazing that before people have even finished reading one disheartening report about public resource mismanagement, another report is out. It is barely a couple of days ago when we received the Auditor General’s report on Local Authorities which revealed that over 14 million kwacha of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) was misapplied. Before that there was yet another Auditor General’s report on Parastatals which was equally damning. Before that we had the main 2016 Auditor General’s report with yet another gloomy picture for the Zambians. Amidst all that we have the Mukula tree scandal, $42million fire trucks, $ 288,000 ambulance purchase scandal, the $1.2 billion dual courage way. What is going on in this country?

Where is the so called “working government”? Because as CSOs we are not seeing any work being done where safeguarding public resources is concerned, other than the rhetorical speeches we are subjected to. We should mention here that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for safeguarding the assets, investments, reputation and sustainability of the Global Fund by ensuring that it takes the right action to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Through audits, investigations and advisory work, it promotes good practice, reduces risk and reports fully and transparently on abuse.

It is our concerted view that government should have taken a keen interest in the 2017 Audit findings and acted on them immediately. It is not enough for the government to issue a statement seeking redress by shifting the blame on the supply chain.

The misuse of global funds as outlined in the 2018 investigations report by the Global Fund where HIV test kits were stolen is worth a staggering US$416,379. This is a clear lack of concern among the duty bearers that have been tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding the resources meant for Zambian citizens.

This weakness in internal controls in the delivery process of medical supplies is worrying and has for a number of years had a negative impact on service delivery in the health sector especially to the rural parts of the country.

It is only true that discussion around systems and procedures to safeguard the interests of the nation are not new. The civil society organisations have been calling for government to tighten regulations around the management of national resources and this is not different.

We as CSOs have on a number of occasions advised government to ensure that there is a regulatory framework that is enforceable and has good sanctioning environment, one which punishes issues of mismanagement and gross negligence around national resource management in whatever form.

Furthermore we are dismayed that this is happening when we have a Minister of Health who is a medical practitioner and has two Permanent Secretaries to provide checks and balances. They are further charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all systems and procedures in the Ministry of Health and other partners such as Medical Stores Limited are functioning well.

This situation begs the question, “if the Ministry of Health can allow over $4miilion worth of expired drugs what other anomalies has the ministry kept from the Zambian people?’.

Mind you this is the same ministry which had another huge scandal of theft of donor funds a couple of years ago. There are a lot of mechanisms that government can put in place in the ministry of health and in particular Medical stores to ensure that our people’s health resources are safe guarded.

Our appeal goes to the President of this country Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu to take responsibility of what is happening in his government and be more responsible and safe guard tax payer’s money. The easiest short term measure for the president is to fire erring ministers and permanent secretaries before we as a country, lose the little faith that our cooperating partners have in us.

We seriously cannot be losing so much money at the expense of a selfish few.

The investigation identified significant unexplained stock losses of Global Fund-financed pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical health products totaling US$1, 064,788 delivered to Medical Stores Limited between 2014 and 2016.

Really such things shouldn’t be happening if we have a listening government.

Our hope is that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) under global fund will work closely with our investigative wings to bring all culprits to book and we hope to see massive dismissals and weeding of the bad seed from medical stores limited.

We also urge government to address the issues highlighted in the report with the utmost urgency it deserves.

The people of Zambia will not be hoodwinked into paying for costs to the nation that could clearly have been avoided if systems and procedures were in place.

Further, one wonders why the President and the Ministry of Health has been silent on this issue even after the Audit report in 2017 was presented to the Ministry of Health.

This will affect a lot of issues including the implementation of the National Health Insurance Bill. It will bring into question the issue of compliance as there has been misuse tax payers’ money and donor funds by allowing this to happen.

The president during his address to the national assembly is on record urging the nation to uphold the values of morality and ethics but this scandal demonstrates that the government of the day does not walk the talk.

As such we are calling on the Head of State to take action against his Minister and Permanent Secretaries for negligence and he must not hesitate to take punitive measures against any erring other officer.

Wesley Chibamba-TIZ Executive Director Nalucha Ziba-Action Aid Executive Director Patrick Kryticous Nshindano-CSPR Executive Director
Lewis Mwape-ZCSD Executive Director
Isaac Mwaipopo-CTPD Executive Director Laura Miti-ACA Executive Director
Chenai Mukumba-CUTS National Coordinator

SACCORD has welcomed the directive by the Republican President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to the Minister of Justice Hon. Given Lubinda to move the constitution amendment process to September to allow for the dialogue process.

Reacting to the yesterdays directive by the president to have the amendments to the constitution halted so as not to undermine the dialogue process Executive Director Boniface Chembe said the directive was welcome as some stakeholders had raised concerns over the timing of constitutional reforms.

Cheembe observed that the directive by the President’s is an indication that there are efforts being made to take on boars concerns from various stakeholders.

“This directive comes against a background where some stakeholders in the national dialogue process had raised some concerns over the timing of the constitution amendment. The President directive is an indication that there are efforts being made to take on board concerns arising from various stakeholders on the national dialogue process.

“In addition, the directive also gives stakeholders extra time for them to consider making additional suggestions on that which needs to be done to perfect the amended constitution,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude that the President was committing to dialogue without any conditions.

“It is also encouraging to note that the President has committed himself to unconditional dialogue which is important as this will assist stakeholders to plan accordingly on how to address the matters of concern to the nation. The national dialogue process is now on course and it is important that all stakeholders continue to be engaged whether foreign or domestic,” Cheembe said.

Cheembe also expressed happiness at the President’s insistence for dialogue to be led by local institutions.

He said stakeholders with issues as regards to ZCID capacity should open up and identify their areas of concern so that they can be worked on to ensure that the process is accepted by all stakeholders.

President Lungu on Thursday directed Justice Minister Given Lubinda to halt the constitution amendments process so as not undermine the dialogue process.

See His Goodness

David was going through a tough time when he made the declaration in today’s verse. Things weren’t going his way. But he said in effect, “I’m not worried. I’m not upset. I am confident I will see God’s goodness.” In other words, “This situation I’m in may be rough, but that’s not going to steal my vision. That’s not going to cause me to give up on my dreams. I am confident that this year, I will see God’s favor in a new way.”

That’s what our attitude needs to be today because what you focus on is what you will see. No matter what the medical report says, no matter what your finances look like, no matter how bad that relationship may seem, be confident that you will see His goodness! He is the all-powerful, omniscient Creator of the universe, and He holds you in the palm of His hand. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Take hold of this truth by faith and focus on His goodness today. Allow His peace to settle in your heart and mind as you move forward in His blessing all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today

“Father in heaven, thank You for Your goodness in my life. I choose to focus on You today no matter what my circumstances may look like. Give me Your peace as I keep my mind stayed on You in Jesus’ name. Amen.”