Corruption is ‘daily bread’ in UPND – Anthony Mumba

By BARNABAS ZULU

CORRUPTION has become a daily affair in the UPND government and it is disheartening that President Hakainde Hichilema is doing nothing to combat the scourge despite his declaration of zero tolerance to graft, Anthony Mumba has charged.
Mr Mumba, the Kantnshi Member of Parliament has expressed deep concern over the high levels of corruption within the UPND government, accusing the regime of rampant corruption that is undermining national progress.
Mr. Mumba’s comments come in response to Lunte Member of Parliament, Mutotwe Kafwaya, who also raised concerns about corruption in the current administration.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Mumba said corruption within the UPND government had become a daily affair, with parastatal board members allegedly awarding contracts to their preferred companies.
He claimed that some of the board members were even in close contact with suppliers, as evidenced by them having numbers of suppliers stored in their phones. “The corruption has become the order of the day in government, and President Hakainde Hichilema is doing nothing to combat it. It is disheartening to see how bad it has become,” Mr. Mumba charged.
Mr. Mumba emphasized that while the opposition was expected to hold the government accountable, it was not opposed to supporting good governance where necessary.
“It is not wrong for us in opposition to clap for the government. Our role is to help them govern better,” Mr. Mumba said. “But if you look at all the issues raised by Honourable Kafwaya, the government has not done enough to address corruption, particularly in institutions like ZAMMSA. The confusion there could have been avoided if there was proper oversight,” he said.
Mr Mumba pointed to various sectors where corruption had become rampant, including the Ministry of Health, where after the exposure of a US$6.8 million contract linked to the Permanent Secretary, the Secretary to the Treasury swiftly moved to revoke his appointment as controlling officer.
However, Mr. Mumba noted that no further action had been taken by President Hichilema to address the issue.
Talking about the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Mumba highlighted the mismanagement of the TAZAMA pipeline, noting that millions of dollars invested to provide cheaper fuel to Zambians had been misused.
“An Asian cadre from the UPND, well-known in the sector, controls 99.9 percent of that pipeline. This is a blatant disregard for the public interest,” he said.

Mr. Mumba also addressed the mining sector, accusing the government of overtaxing ordinary Zambians while allowing mining companies to evade taxes.

“Today, a taxi driver must present a tax clearance certificate to renew their driver’s license, but mining companies sit on nearly half a billion dollars in uncollected taxes. The slogan of ‘less taxes, more money in people’s pockets’ championed by the PF could have been realized, but nothing is working under the UPND,” Mr. Mumba asserted.