Former President Lungu Calls for Accountability in Light of Corruption Reports

Lusaka, July 2024

Former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has called for President Hakainde Hichilema to uphold his promises of fighting corruption, following the recent exposure of widespread corruption within the government.

Reflecting on President Hichilema’s stance as an opposition leader, President Lungu shared a past Facebook post from January 10, 2021, in which President Hichilema criticized then-President Lungu for not taking sufficient action against corruption. Hichilema’s post read:

“The sacking of Dr. Chitalu Chilufya does not go far enough and comes too little, too late. Mr. Edgar Lungu knew all along about Dr. Chilufya’s corrupt activities at the Ministry of Health but didn’t relieve him of his duties because it benefited him and the entire Patriotic Front.

He didn’t have to wait for the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee to unearth something that was so obvious. We therefore demand that the ACC immediately move in on Dr. Chitalu Chilufya. Mr. Lungu should go further and fire Stephen Kampyongo and Kakoma Kanganja, who are equally culpable, like Dr. Chilufya, in the deaths of innocent citizens. We demand justice for the Zambian people now!”

In his address, President Lungu emphasized the importance of consistency and integrity in leadership, stating, “Fellow Citizens, this is July 2024. We have heard and seen reports of massive corruption, as evidenced in the Financial Intelligence Centre report, Whistleblowers, the Parliamentary Accounts Committee Report, involving his own ministers and other appointees, and we are anxiously waiting for the President to walk his own talk following these revelations. What was not good in his eyes then should not be good in the same eyes now.”