Appoint ACC Board, Mwenda prods HH 

…says it is a calculated negligence meant to render the ACC defunct, leaving the President himself as the de facto Board, Board Chairperson, and Director General.

By HOPE MUSONDA

KASONDE Mwenda, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president says the failure by President Hakainde Hichilema to appoint a board and a substantive director general for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for the past four months was a botched fight against graft.

Mr Mwenda said the failure to have a board of directors and a substantive director general at the ACC had paralysed the country’s fight against stealing of resources by public officials.

He alleged that President Hichilema had wilfully neglected to appoint the ACC board chairperson and its director general and such a decision was disastrous to the fight against corruption.

“President Hichilema’s deliberate inaction in failing to appoint a board, board chairperson and director general to the Anti-Corruption Commission for an unprecedented four months directly undermines Government’s own professed commitment to combat corruption, effectively paralysing one of the country’s most crucial anti-corruption bodies,” Mr Mwenda said.

He said the resignation of Mr Tom Shamakamba from his position as director general of the ACC on July 17, 2024, and the subsequent dissolution of the ACC board on July 18, 2024, showed total disregard for the filling up of the critical positions.

“This calculated negligence renders the ACC essentially defunct, leaving the President himself as the de facto Board, Board Chairperson, and Director General – a position wholly unsustainable in the fight against corruption,” Mr Mwenda said.

He said for a President who claimed to prioritise integrity and transparency, such willful delay reflected a troubling lack of commitment to rooting out corruption.

Mr Mwenda said such stagnation was symptomatic of deeper issues within President Hichilema’s leadership and one that, contrary to his self-praise, appeared disorganised and indecisive. 

“The implications of this inaction are profound as such without an appointed Board and Director General, the ACC is crippled, unable to independently address or investigate ongoing cases of corruption,” he said.

Mr Mwenda said the President’s reluctance to make appointments created a vacuum that permitted further corruption and diminished public trust in government institutions.

“The EFF have with immediate effect demanded that President Hichilema immediately appoints a qualified and competent ACC Board and director general. This must not be a mere symbolic gesture or an exercise in political patronage; rather, it requires the appointment of professionals who possess both integrity and commitment to the rule of law, not political operatives or allies,” Mr Mwenda said.