Rampant Payroll Corruption Exposed By Government Audit

An audit of Government payrolls by Zambia’s Office of the Auditor General has further exposed the rampant misuse of public money under the administration of Edgar Lungu.

The audit shows $45 million was paid in regular salaries to 9,800 individuals who remain unregistered. Analysing the period 2017 through to 2021 the auditors also detected 87 individuals diverting funds reserved for salary payments to accounts outside the civil service.

Such grave misuse of public funds is particularly repugnant in light of the deep recession in Zambia and the consequential austerity measures that saw social spending fall by 21% between 2019 and 2021.

Laura Miti, Executive Director of Alliance for Community Action, Zambia’s public accountability NGO describe the scale of misuse as “monumental”. Importantly, the audit only covers a randomised sample of state institutions. As such, there are suggestions this is simply the tip of a large iceberg.

Suspended officials were paid for up to 14 years after leaving government, whilst others manipulated the employment register to receive double salaries and unauthorised allowances.

Commenting further, Miti noted; “The payroll fraud is especially considerable in a country with such high levels of unemployment, shortage of critical staff and budget deficit on all service delivery”. Money embezzled, in effect, directly reduces the funds available for public services and damages the health of the broader national economy.

Anti-corruption measures were a key facet of President Hichilema’s campaign. Whilst in his inaugural speech the President emphasised “there will be no sacred cows in this fight” – that is to say, he committed to a zero-tolerance stance irrespective of political standing.

Former foreign affairs minister and veteran diplomat Vernon Johnson Mwaanga has praised Hichilema for setting “very high standards” on corruption. Miti, however, emphasised that for meaningful change any potential current on ongoing corruption must be investigated with as much vigour.

Since coming to power, Hichilema has attempted to empower the Anti-Corruption Commission, has supported audits into history corruption, and high-profile former politicians including former Justice Minister Given Lubinda and former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji have been arrested in the last year.

As Zambia’s economic recovery continues, retaining a tight grip against corruption is vital to ensuring the proper and efficient operation of government and the most effective use of public funds in order to better provide public and social services.