Auditor General Report Reveals Increase In Government Waste

The office of the auditor general has released a simplified report of Zambia’s public accounts for the year 2019, detailing new records for government waste and uncollected revenues. 

The report indicates that wasted government expenditure increased to K3,730,864 last year, up from a mere K222,534 in 2018. Undelivered materials, meanwhile, totalled some K23,510,118. 

Unaccounted for revenue also rose in 2019 to K528,431 - up from K1432,179 in 2018. This is money that is collected but neither banked nor found as cash, indicative of either poor accounting or government corruption. 

The Auditor General, Dr Dick Chellah Sichembe, said he released the simplified report to ensure that citizens are able to understand the contents of the audit and to respond to concerns raised by stakeholders. 

The report reveals revenue losses across every government department, with the ministry of mines losing some K21,199,692 as a result of failing to collect area charges from 1,477 mining rights holders. 

It also provides insights into the recent scandal surrounding HoneyBee pharmaceuticals, detailing that 58 of the 60 types of health equipment provided by HoneyBee came from unapproved manufacturers, costing the government some $3,400,151.04.

In particular the report draws attention to several cases of paracetamol, which contained mould, and condoms worth some $114 million, which burst when filled with water. 

The report has been made available in full by the Alliance for Community Action (ACA) and can be dowloaded here. 

ACA executive director Laura Miti has urged all Zambians to read the report “to see how the EL Administration steals public money”