Kickbacks Drive Projects – Harry Kalaba

Former Minister of Foreign Affaris and Bahati PF MP Harry Kalaba has charged that the majority of projects being carried out in the country are underway as a result of kickbacks.

“We are doing projects in this country, not because the projects are important, but because somebody will get a kickback. Are you telling me it was in order to start another international airport even before you look at the issues obtaining in the schools; even though you have not even looked properly at the power sector in this country? We are failing to industrialize because our energy levels are quite low,” he revealed to listeners of Radio Christian Voice’s “Chat Back” programme earlier in the week.

“Our sustainable development is political sustainable development; it is politicians sustaining themselves; as long as they can sustain themselves and have more dollars or more kwachas to fight their political opponents, they will stop at nothing. Those are the kind of politics that we should say no to.”

Kalaba resigned his ministerial position in January in protest at the swelling levels of corruption in the country “perpetrated by those who are expected to be the solution”, stating that “When people begin to feel overwhelmed by fear for speaking the truth, it is time to realize that critical fundamentals have shifted. We all have a role to play in making things right. This is my little contribution - Zambia is our country, we need and must reclaim it back."