By Hon. Howard Kunda
The fight against corruption in a resourceful country like Zambia is a topic of unabated relevance.
Spotlighting the devastating cost of corruption to the Zambian economy, society and individual is essential to curbing of the vice. President Hakainde Hichilema has pledged to step up efforts to promote and implement the anti-corruption fight, and so far he has demonstrated the necessary political will, which I want to highly recommend.
Under my tenure as public accounts committe chairperson, with my team, we worked on a number of issues relating to corruption and mismanagement of public resources of the country. I understand the adverse effects of even mismanaging a one Zambian Kwacha (K1) that would have been allocated to the intended budgeted and approved purpose by Parliament, which in the end trickles down to a common citizen there in a village of Isoka or Dudumwezi, when he/she doesn’t receive the necessary development needed in time because the money intended for that purpose was mismanaged by a controlling officer.
President Hakainde Hichilema, needs to support and upscale operational capacity of the Auditor General’s office and other oversight institutions. Above all our President and his government needs to identify and address the root causes of the vices of corruption and mismanagement of public resources, so as to close the leakages before they even start. Financial systems should also come on board and work with government to take measures to prevent them from being abused to hide, move or to launder assets stemming from corruption. Zambia has the potential, and currently the political will to actualize the potential has been exhibited by President Hakainde Hichilema, let’s all support him in the fight against corruption.
I Submit.
Howard Kunda.
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