Kumwesu Editorial || “Accountability Demands It: Submit the ZMMSA Audit Report to Parliament”
In a functioning democracy, transparency is not a suggestion it is a requirement. And when it comes to public funds, especially in the health sector where lives hang in the balance, accountability must be non-negotiable. The Zambian people deserve to know how their money is being spent. That is why the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZMMSA) audit report must be submitted to the National Assembly, as the law explicitly demands.
According to the Public Audit Act No. 29 of 2016, the Auditor-General is required to submit audit reports to both the President and the Speaker of the National Assembly. This is not a courtesy. It is not an option. It is the legal framework through which Parliament exercises its oversight responsibility on behalf of the Zambian people. Bypassing Parliament or delaying this process undermines the entire accountability chain and smells suspiciously like a cover-up in the making.
The recently leaked details of the Special Audit conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers have already raised alarm bells. Among the most shocking revelations is the awarding of a K16 million contract to an unregistered supplier. This isn’t just poor procurement; it is a dangerous breach of public trust and a blatant example of how corruption is allowed to fester when institutions fail to follow the law.
Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu confirmed that the audit report was submitted to law enforcement agencies. But law enforcement is not Parliament. While we commend the action to involve investigative wings, this cannot and must not be used as an excuse to withhold the report from the National Assembly. Selective circulation of audit findings encourages selective prosecution often driven by political calculations rather than justice.
Parliament is where the nation speaks. It is where elected representatives are empowered to question, debate, and act on behalf of their constituencies. Shielding Parliament from this report denies them the right to do their job and denies the public the transparency they are entitled to.
Let us be clear: this is not just about ZMMSA. This is about setting a precedent. If the executive can cherry-pick who sees what, when, and how — then we are no longer governed by the rule of law but by discretion and political convenience.
Kumwesu therefore calls for the immediate submission of the ZMMSA Special Audit Report to the Speaker of the National Assembly in accordance with the Public Audit Act. Let Parliament debate it. Let committees scrutinize it. Let justice flow without interference or filtration.
Because if we allow even a single report to bypass scrutiny, we invite rot to become routine. And that, Zambia, is too high a price to pay.
July 15, 2025
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