From K61,000 to Nearly K14 Million: How President Hakainde Hichilema’s Digital Governance Reforms Are Closing Revenue Leakages in Zambia
By Golden Mapulanga – Political Communication and Governance Analyst
One of the less publicised but potentially transformative reforms under President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration is the digitalisation of public services. While many citizens focus on visible infrastructure projects, an equally important transformation is taking place in how government collects and manages public revenue.
A recent example is the remarkable performance of the Lusaka City Council following the introduction of the e-Council digital platform.
Before the digital system was introduced, revenue collection from the seven services that have now been automated was surprisingly low. Lusaka City Council collected:
January 2026 – K61,000
February 2026 – K627,000
March 2026 – K398,000
April 2026 – K258,000
These figures suggested significant revenue leakages, inefficiencies, and heavy dependence on manual cash transactions.
However, after the services migrated to the Government Service Bus (GSB)/ZamPortal platform on 26 May 2026, the results changed dramatically.
Within just four days, the council collected more than K1 million, ending May with K1.8 million. In June—the first full month under the digital system—revenue soared to nearly K14 million (K13.9 million).
This is more than just an increase in revenue. It is evidence that good governance reforms can produce measurable results.
The digital platform allows citizens and businesses to pay electronically for services such as property rates, business levies, health permits, building permits, market fees, and bus station fees. By reducing manual handling of cash, the system improves transparency, accountability, efficiency, and convenience while making it far more difficult for public revenue to be lost through leakages.
From a governance perspective, this reflects President Hakainde Hichilema’s broader reform agenda of modernising public administration through technology, strengthening financial accountability, and improving public service delivery.
If similar results are achieved across Zambia’s local authorities, councils will have significantly more resources to invest in better roads, drainage systems, waste management, markets, street lighting, and other essential community services without introducing new taxes.
The lesson is clear: when governance systems are strengthened, government can collect more from existing revenue sources simply by reducing inefficiencies and leakages.
The Lusaka City Council experience demonstrates that digital transformation is not merely about technology—it is about improving governance, protecting public resources, and ensuring that every kwacha collected works for the benefit of the Zambian people.
As the e-Council programme expands to more local authorities, it has the potential to become one of the most significant governance reforms of the Hakainde Hichilema administration, delivering greater transparency, stronger public financial management, and improved service delivery across the country.
Your Honourable Diplomat