$13 Million Ambulance Scandal Exposes Irregularities in UPND Government’s Procurement Processes

$13 Million Ambulance Scandal Exposes Irregularities in UPND Government’s Procurement Processes

A storm is brewing over the controversial $13 million procurement of ambulances under Zambia’s Constituency Development Fund (CDF), a project meant to enhance grassroots healthcare services. Instead, it has become a symbol of bureaucratic inefficiency and possible corruption, casting doubt on the government’s commitment to transparency and public accountability.

The scandal came to light during hearings by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Bwana Mkubwa MP Warren Mwambazi. PAC is scrutinizing the Auditor General’s report on Zambia’s financial accounts for the year ending December 31, 2023. Among the flagged issues was the procurement of 156 ambulances by the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Health, and the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA).

Despite spending K336,173,760 (approximately $13 million) on the project, only 11 ambulances have been delivered a full year after the procurement process was completed. The delivery deadline has been repeatedly extended, raising questions about the project’s oversight and management.

The procurement process has drawn significant criticism for its irregularities. Open public tendering, a requirement for government contracts to ensure fairness and competition, was bypassed in favor of selective bidding. Officials justified this decision by categorizing the procurement as an emergency. However, the glaring delays in delivery undermine this justification.

Under normal circumstances, emergency procurement allows for limited bidding to address immediate needs. Yet ZAMMSA chose to award contracts to Ace Pharmaceuticals and Aqueous Investments neither of which are accredited dealers or manufacturers of Toyota Land Cruisers, the vehicles specified for the ambulances. This decision sidelined official franchise holders like Toyota Zambia, who could have provided after-sales service and warranties.

Even more damning is the revelation that the contracts signed in June 2023 stipulated a delivery timeline of 16 to 20 weeks. By June 2024, all 156 ambulances were to be delivered, but this deadline has now been pushed to December 2024, with an additional extension requested for February 2025.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government defended the delays, claiming that meeting the contractual timeline was “impossible.” The PAC was unimpressed, particularly given that the procurement process had been framed as an emergency.

Further scrutiny reveals questionable decisions that compound the scandal. Officials from the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Health, and ZAMMSA traveled to Dubai to inspect the ambulances’ assembly. This trip, far from expediting the project, has been criticized as an unnecessary expense. Moreover, the decision to involve middlemen rather than direct manufacturers is seen as an attempt to inflate costs.

The average cost of each ambulance is $288,000, a price critics argue is significantly higher than what could have been achieved through competitive bidding. This has fueled allegations that the procurement process was designed to benefit specific individuals or companies at the expense of public funds.

Civil society organizations and opposition leaders have seized on the scandal to call for accountability. “This is a betrayal of public trust,” one activist said. “The UPND government campaigned on promises of transparency and zero tolerance for corruption, yet we are witnessing the same old mismanagement.”

The fallout has extended beyond government offices. The CDF, intended to decentralize development and provide critical support to underserved communities, has now been tainted by this controversy. Healthcare workers and rural residents, the supposed beneficiaries of the ambulances, continue to face challenges in accessing emergency services.

In a bid to salvage its reputation, ZAMMSA issued a public statement acknowledging the delays but offered no concrete measures to address the situation. The agency reiterated its commitment to the revised delivery schedule but provided little assurance that it would avoid similar mishandling in future projects.

This scandal has broader implications for President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration. His government has made bold pronouncements about tackling corruption and promoting good governance. In recent speeches, President Hichilema emphasized the importance of accountability, declaring, “There will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.”

However, the ambulance procurement debacle directly contradicts these assurances, raising concerns about the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures under the UPND government. The lack of transparency, the engagement of middlemen, and the repeated delays suggest systemic issues that require urgent attention.

Zambians are watching closely as the PAC hearings unfold. The revelations have sparked widespread outrage, with citizens demanding justice and immediate reforms in public procurement practices. For a government that promised to be different, this scandal is a critical test of its credibility.

As the dust settles, one question remains: will the UPND administration rise to the occasion and hold those responsible to account, or will this be yet another entry in Zambia’s long history of corruption and mismanagement? For now, the answers remain elusive, but the pressure is mounting for action.

Chansa Bwalya