COMPLICATED WEB ON THE ALLEGED IRREGULAR ACQUISITION OF A GOVERNMENT MOTOR VEHICLE BY ARCHBISHOP DR. ALICK BANDA

By Larry Mweetwa

COMPLICATED WEB ON THE ALLEGED IRREGULAR ACQUISITION OF A GOVERNMENT MOTOR VEHICLE BY ARCHBISHOP DR. ALICK BANDA

“Justice has nothing to fear from truth.”
“When the drumbeat changes, the dancer must adjust.”

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

This matter concerns allegations of procedural impropriety, abuse of public office, falsification of documents, and unlawful disposition of State property, arising from the disposal of motor vehicles belonging to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).

At the centre of this controversy is Motor Vehicle Registration No. ALF 7734, Toyota Hilux, which official records purport was disposed of to a ZRA employee and subsequently transferred within an unusually compressed timeframe to Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda, the incumbent Archbishop of Lusaka.

The matter is under active investigation by law-enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).

THE POSITION OF MULOPA KAUNDA

“I have never seen, touched, driven, bought, sold, or gifted that vehicle at law or in fact.”

Mr. Mulopa Kaunda, a ZRA employee, categorically denies any participation in the acquisition, purchase, auction, or transfer of the said motor vehicle. He asserts that:

1. He never participated in any tender, auction, or disposal process conducted by ZRA.
2. He never made any payment to ZRA for the purchase of a motor vehicle.
3. He has never met, communicated with, or transacted with Archbishop Alick Banda.

4. Receipts and supporting documents bearing his name were fraudulently generated, without his knowledge or authority.

In legal parlance, his defence is one of total denial, grounded in absence of privity, lack of consideration, and non-participation.

“You cannot sell what you never owned; you cannot gift what you never possessed.”
Nemo dat quod non habet.

ALLEGED FABRICATION OF DOCUMENTS

On 17 December 2020, Mr. Kaunda received an internal ZRA email attaching a receipt acknowledging payment allegedly made by him for the vehicle in question. Upon immediate protest, he was informed by senior officers that the receipt was issued in error and subsequently “cancelled.”

However, during later investigations, a different receipt bearing a separate number surfaced, raising serious red flags of documentary manipulation.

“When receipts multiply like loaves and fishes, auditors must ask who is performing miracles.”

THE NRC REQUEST AND IDENTITY MISUSE

Mr. Kaunda confirms that he was instructed by his superior, Callistus Kaoma, to submit his National Registration Card (NRC). Trusting the authority of office and constrained by hierarchy he complied

He now contends that this act was exploited to perfect an unlawful transfer of ownership in his name.

“When power borrows your name, it may mortgage your future.”

THE LOGBOOK AND ALIBI

Records allegedly show that Mr. Kaunda drove the vehicle out of ZRA premises on 13 November 2020. He firmly rebuts this, stating:
• He was officially stationed in Ndola, not Lusaka.
• ZRA attendance registers, transfer records, and CCTV footage can verify his whereabouts.
• He only transferred to Lusaka in May 2022.

“A lie may sprint, but truth has endurance.”

THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE TRANSFER

ZRA and Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) records indicate that:
• Ownership was transferred from ZRA to Mr. Kaunda on 21 April 2021.
• Ownership was transferred again to Archbishop Alick Banda on 22 April 2021 the very next day.

In law, such velocity invites scrutiny.

“When land changes hands overnight, lawyers wake up early.”

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: SYSTEMIC ABUSE

During the tenure of the late Edgar Lungu, multiple State institutions were directed to release vehicles for political use. Investigations later revealed that at least 22 ZRA vehicles were disposed of under questionable circumstances.

Notably:
• Former ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda and Director Callistus Kaoma were convicted and sentenced to six and nine years respectively for failing to follow lawful disposal procedures.

“When the fence is broken, even goats become suspects.”

DEC POSITION

DEC Director-General Nason Banda confirms that:
• Mr. Kaunda has been interrogated and consistently maintained his innocence.
• Investigations are long-standing and ongoing.
• The summoning of Archbishop Banda occurred only after investigators reached a threshold of evidentiary confidence.

“Courts are not moved by robes, collars, or crowds but by facts.”

PUBLIC ANXIETY AND THE RULE OF LAW

Concerns have been raised by some members of the Catholic faithful regarding possible persecution. However, under constitutional governance:

“No office sanctifies illegality; no collar immunises inquiry.”

The law recognises no sacred cows, only due process.

CONCLUDING OBSERVATION

Mr. Kaunda’s closing words echo timeless wisdom:

“A good name is better than riches.”
(Proverbs 22:1)

This matter ultimately calls for truth, accountability, and institutional integrity not trial by social media, nor acquittal by status.

“When the masquerade dances in daylight, the drums must explain.”

IPSA LOQUITOR-THINGS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!