Ghost Chiefs Looting Treasury – Civil Society Slams Government Inaction
A coalition of civil society organizations has launched a scathing attack on the government, accusing it of complicity in a brutal theft of public funds through the continued payment of subsidies to so-called “ghost chiefs.”
Speaking with fierce conviction at SACCORD House in Lusaka, Solomon Ngoma, Deputy Chairperson of the Civil Society Consortium on the Welfare of Chiefs in Zambia, lambasted state authorities for allowing a corrupt scheme to thrive in broad daylight costing Zambian taxpayers over K2.3 million every year.
“We are dealing with nothing short of financial brutality. Money meant for public welfare is being siphoned off by impostors illegal chiefs who are not recognized by law, yet are being fattened by state coffers,” Ngoma thundered.
He accused the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development of shielding these illegitimate figures, some of whom are allegedly nothing more than village headmen masquerading as chiefs.
“This is daylight robbery perpetrated under the watch of senior government officials. The continued payment of subsidies to individuals who don’t exist in Zambia’s legal chieftaincy framework is a scandal of criminal proportions,” he said.
Ngoma pointed to official documents, including the 1958 Chieftaincy Boundary Map and the 2010 Ishindi v. Attorney General ruling, which recognize only 286 legitimate chiefdoms at independence. Yet at least 11 individuals not listed in these records are drawing public funds, he revealed.
“This isn’t just negligence, it’s a deliberate distortion of Zambia’s governance system. It’s an insult to the legitimate traditional leaders and a slap in the face of every tax-paying citizen.”
The Consortium accused technocrats of deliberately frustrating efforts by the President and the people of Zambia to clean up the system.
“We had hoped this government would wield the axe and cut off this rot. Instead, the rot has only deepened. We now demand the publication of the full payroll list of chiefs and the immediate removal of these phantom beneficiaries.”
Calling the situation an “institutional betrayal,” Ngoma said the government had blood on its hands for failing to protect national resources.
“This is not a harmless administrative error it’s financial violence against the people of Zambia.”
The Consortium vowed to escalate its campaign until justice is restored, warning that civil unrest could erupt if people continue to see corruption rewarded while genuine chiefs are sidelined.
May 05, 2025
KUMWESU