Chilufya Re-Adopted By PF Despite HoneyBee Scandal

Former Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya has been adopted to recontest his seat ahead of the August 12 elections despite being sacked earlier this year after a parliamentary committee discovered that $17 million of ministry funds had been spent on defective medical equipment from a company called HoneyBee pharmaceuticals.

Under Dr Chilufya’s leadership, the Ministry of Health awarded a contract to HoneyBee in 2019 despite the company failing to meet mandatory procurement conditions. It was later discovered that the company supplied defective medical equipment, including condoms and latex gloves that leaked when filled with water. The former minister has also had various run-ins with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Commenting on his re-adoption Alliance for Community Action (ACA) Executive Director Laura Miti stated, “No real consequences for overseeing one of the most shocking corruption scandals - Honey Bee.”

“Minister Ronald Chitotela too, whose rating on the perception of corruption index must be A+, is offered another 5 years in office,” she continued.

“The total resistance to punishing corruption in PF is well mirrored by the billions of dollars the country has lost into private pockets in the last 10 years. By its adoption list, the PF is saying to Zambians - if we won, it would be more of the same,” Miti concludes.

According to Transparency International corruption in Zambia has been on the rise in recent years. The group’s recently released Corruption Perception Index for 2020 showed that for the fifth year in a row corruption has increased. Zambia ranked 76th in 2015, rising to 117th in 2020. The higher the ranking the worse the corruption within the country.