Corruption Rises for Fifth Year in a Row

Recent release of Transparency International Corruption Perception Index’s 2020 rankings has shown that, for a fifth year in a row, corruption within the country has increased.

This worrying trend is a case for concern for the Government, especially the Ministry of Justice, with corruption rising since the Edgar Lungu’s government came to power in 2015.

Although the government says that it has made an effort to decrease the level of corruption in the country, these figures, from an independent source, demonstrate a different story to that which the government has been telling.

With one in every five Zambians having to pay bribes to access basic services such as healthcare and education, it is no wonder that this figure is so high.

Corruption within the government is likely to be a large contributor to the rank which Transparency International have given the country.

For example, the independent Risk & Compliance Portal carried out research which outlined the fact that the government ‘frequently harasses independent news outlets and uses defamation laws to restrain these freedoms [of speech and press]’.

Other issues involving government corruption include the recent HoneyBee Pharmacy scandal, in which the company failed to comply with government safety guidelines yet was still offered a $17 million contract by the Ministry of Health. 

Greater transparency and accountability within the current government would likely reduce the levels of corruption seen today.

Official figures released by Transparency International show that Zambia has crept up the corruption table, from ranking 76th in 2015 up to 87, 96, 105, 113 before reaching a rank of 117 out of a possible 180 in 2020. The higher the ranking the worse the corruption within the country.

Photo: Transparency International