By Chanda Chisala.
Imagine we are at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the United States decides to donate vaccines and masks to Zambia, but half of these get stolen by people at the Ministry of Health so that they can sell them to the public secretly. Would it make sense for the US to say “we won’t send you any more COVID vaccines and life-saving masks any more”? This would be a strange decision because many more lives would be lost without such assistance, even if it is tainted by corruption and theft.
That imaginary situation is exactly identical to the recent shocking decision by the US to withhold medical assistance to Zambia without warning. Yes, there is rampant theft involved in the medical aid “business,” but is withholding such aid the most practical solution? Surely there are other ways the US can impose accountability measures on the Zambian government without endangering the lives of so many people who are dependent on this assistance.
Personally, I am ultimately against the existence of all such aid because it makes poor countries too dependent on the discretion of the benefactor. It is risky to put the health of your people at the mercy of a foreign government, and the Zambian government should find a way of weaning the country from all such dependence. But it can only be done after finding self-sustaining alternatives to the status quo. It is therefore quite inhumane for the US to withdraw such aid before they could first ensure that the country they have helped become dependent on them finds another way to provide healthcare to its people. It doesn’t take one day to build a new system of health provision if your entire healthcare infrastructure was built on the promise of aid.
The bottom line is that lives are being saved by these donations even when theft is involved in the process, just as vaccines or masks were saving lives even if crooked middlemen were no doubt involved in their distribution. This does not mean we are defending the evil and greedy thefts at the ministry of health; it only means we encourage a more humane solution that considers the risks of instant withdrawal.
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The author, Chanda Chisala, is the Founder of Zambia Online and Khama Institute. He is formerly a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University and Visiting Scholar to the Hoover Institution, a policy think tank at Stanford. You can follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chandachisala.
I think it silly to beg a donor, despite how dire your situation is. The US can abruptly end any aid at any time.
To state that the aid was withdrawn without warning isn’t factual first of all as the ambassador did state they have been engaging with the government since 2021. Secondly, we have been given up to 2026 to transition, its not cold turkey situation.
Worst government ever. Regret wasting my vote. Worry though is that there appears no alternative. The opposition is fragmented and specialised in bickering among themselves. We are on our own.
What we saw was shunting and shuffling of ministers. No resignations; no firings, no arrests; and no reprimands. Except hearing from HE the president that everyone involved is on their own. But if you look at the neck breaking speed taken to clamp down the opposition leaders, one wonders whether it is the same rule of law at play.
Yes,and someone must strongly advise HH to stop pardoning convicted corruption criminals on humanitarian grounds. It is making him look weak on the fight against corruption.He is the President of Zambian and there will always be situations when he shall be required to make very very unpopular decisions
One Kalumba was given less than six months to live but he has gone on to live longer than my cat which had nine lives.Mr.President no more Nolles and dont pardon anyone in the forthcoming independence day comemorations.Just honor our heroes.Let’s emulate the same Americans justice system:No mercy there
– MuZambian
What is making the president weak and unreliable has nothing to do with the opposition. It is his own failure to act upon current rot10ness in his government. His biased approach blinds him from procecuting and jailing wrong doers in his inner circle. And that is the core complaint confined to UPND’s rule as per the US representative’s timeline.
MyZambia.I did not mention any parties here.I am not partizan on this matter.I am just deeply concerned about my brothers and sisters who are now at risk whether US government decision is right or wrong,even though I personally think it is fundamentally wrong.They are stealing our resources and we have a “right” to aid.Our youths also have a right to migrate to their countries.
– MuZambian
You have NO RIGHT to aid. That’s why you have to apply for a Visa which can be refused or revoked. The only birth right you have is to collect reasonable tax so that you can be self sufficient. It does not matter whether young ones visit America or not. Is going to the US an achievement? Let’s have a clear emancipation, not dependency.
MyZambia.I think you don’t get my drift.Are you not aware that there is currently a very potent argument for reparations for human rights,holocaust crimes against slavery and colonialism on Africans.It has been realised that taxes are not enough because the powerful keep changing the rules that still keeps the yoke.Our poverty is because our humanity was grossly violated and they have the moral duty to help us
.Let the youths go.Not only will they remit their dollars into our economies but also that they will get the knowledge (and skills) about how they actually manage to enslave us
Sometimes think out of the box.Textbooks are not always helpful
– MuZambian
I get your DRIFT.
You are a drfter. Continually moving from topic to topic without making substance, like a rolling stone that fails to gather moth. Thinking outside the box requires doing and learning other new ideas.
America has got new rules on usage of their own public funds. Time we drew our own home grown new rules. Overreliance of Africans on donors must be broken. America is for Americans; Zambia is for Zambians, our humble home. Open your eyes. The moment your eyes open up, like mine, is when you will literally start THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.
Stop drifting.
MyZambia.
No use ,you are incorrigible
The only wrong thing here is this article.
Government stealing from it’s own people is beyond evil and these are the consequences.
@Uncle Spider: The reality is that we are dependent on them right now. It is wrong yes but that’s where we are. If you go to the hospital soon and find there are no drugs to help you, none of your theories about self-reliance will save you.
@ Johd D. Thank you for your reply. I must first challenge you and state that I did not make mention of any theories. I said we don’t have the right to beg and further disagreed with the author when he asserts that aid has just been frozen now. From 2021 the US has been raising the alarm and they have given us till next year.
I have empathy and I am not rejoicing at the news but was bringing facts into the discussion.
How can you say the US withdrew the medical aid without warning when they have said they have been engaging the Zambian goverment for over a year. And we have a government which does not work but fixated on the past, reason they are saying these things started before their time, we are not interested in when it started, we are interested in the government stopping this Vice which has seen the proliferation of drug stores on most streets of Zambia. Start working please
There was no warning on their DECISION. You know that this decision only came because of the new change in government in the US, which has been there for only a few months.
They could have punished us in other ways. Maybe by putting travel bans on all government officials until they fix this.
@Maximus….that doesnt change the fact. They have turned off the tap. Racism or whatever reason you can use to nake excuses of the fact. The tap has been turned off. Just like when your boss fires you. No amount of whimpering will change the fact. Youre gone. Get used to it.
The best you can do is collect yourself together and make a plan. Finished…move on.
The other day i was in ward EO1 in UTH visiting a sick relative. The patient next to my patient was asked to go and buy amoxyl so as the many others in the ward. Economy failing, governance failing, international relations failing – you are allies are now attacking diplomats with no consequences, stopping pilfering of drugs failing. What are you ever going to do right.
Would the writer keep putting his hard earned money into a botomless pit ???
If not others are under no obligation
The author is a AIC agent writing to provoke and gauge the mood of the people to create more confusion. We can see a pattern developing how some foolish nations keep Africa in check and ensure we never develop. Zambians should celebrate and reject all handouts. Europeans want all foreigners out of their nations, therefore Africa should also demand for all foreign NGOs and detractors out.
The moderator of this site is on the side of the one trying to confuse us.
The Aid we get is from tax payers of that country so nothing wrong for them to stop
If not benefitting the right people intended for.
They have the right to stop it
We need to stop this mentality of begging otherwise we will never progress as a nation, be proud.
Towards the 2021 year end the medicines donors demanded that government halts the thefts. For more than ONE YEAR, America loudly requested for change and closure. The past 33 meetings with government yeilded no change. After four years of warnings, how can the US be wrong to withdraw health aid to Zambia? While donations are bound to be cut anytime Zambia didn’t need to give donors an excuse and we must also not shift the blame but take responsibility.
This venom should be addressing the root cause of the problem, those stealing.
That comes in 2026
How can US be wrong as if there are obliged to send you medicines. This laziness of entitlement by African countries is very dangerous. Uhuru, former President of Kenya addressed this issue of feeling entitled as very bad. Tell your government to stop the stealing and not giving lame excuses like the President commissioned an enquiry, so if the President commissions an enquiry with no results, is the US expected to continue pouring money in a bottomless pit.
Government should know what is a priority and what is not. Let me educate here. Stopping pilfering of drugs is a priority. Free education is a priority but not first priority, first priority should always be bread and butter issues – the economy. Even happy to hear that somewhere a Chief said the building of his palace can wait – he wants the welfare of his subjects sorted first before his, it means this Chief understand priorities in an appropriate sequence.
.
– Life Coach-Priorities
Your mind is supercharged.
We always fail to get our fair share of taxes from these multinational conglomerates, especially mining firms, choosing hopefully for pay back in donations and aid. We had chance to revise our tax regime so that we can take care of our selves. We failed. FDI is not charity but business, from which Zambia must benefit to buy our own medicines. Besides, who told the president that we want free education? Why must we have a mandatory health insurance without education insurance? Messed up priorities. Wrong policy.
Free education isnt a priority. The ignorant have always been led out of their poverty and suffering by the educated who initially didnt receive free education.
Stealing and racketeering are just too much in Zambia. No country has prospered with this extent lawlessness. What we are getting are just products of what we are as Zambians. Rather lazy and not serious with work.
Theft or stealing is always punishable. What do we teach our kids about stealing?in past even used to stone a thief to death. Or cut there hands that steal. Let’s just take responsibility and clean house
The writer is as lazy as most Zambian journalists and comentators. He lazily concludes the donor is wrong to withdraw his aid. Yet with a little research he would have seen that the US has been warning UPND about this corruption since 2021. We all know UPND s police only acts when the suspects are from Kasama or Mansa or Chipata- never from HHs tribe. He lamely asks Would it make sense for the US to say, “we won’t send you any more COVID vaccines and life-saving masks any more”? YES it would. Perhaps they would only correct the two negatives in your grammar. But it is their money and why should they donate it to state sponsored criminal syndicates that weak UPND cant stop?
We voted with a lot of hope only to end up with flat battery
Thank you
Strange that private pharmacies can be stocking ARVs donated by America for free distribution on display for selling to patients. If the free medicine from the USA and other donors were estimated to cover the medical needs of all Zambian affected by HIV, TB and Malaria, how many Zambian based clients are available to buy this stolen medicine stocked in private pharmacies? Perhaps these Zambian based private pharmacies are exporting the stolen medicine donated by the USA to other countries?? In a situation where we have private hospitals and pharmacies, a legacy of privatisation, there is need to have a clear and transparent system to avoid publicly available medicine which is distributed for free being syphoned into private hospitals and pharmacies.
When government saw drug stores mushrooming on every street(not all of them but the majority of them) that should have rung a bell. The private pharmacies are all over now, your guess on their source is as good as mine.
Imwe, why can’t you just mention the Container Woman – SYLVIA MASEBO? She purchased medicines to keep in her backyard or some yard somewhere. HH and MASEBO are responsible for the US action. BLAME HH and MASEBO.
These are the kind of guys that justify stealing. Instead of taking a grip on the situation and effecting corrective measures to stop the scourge they instead blame the donors for withdrawing aid. With such type of mindset its good that the US has stopped funding and they should not resume until the mindset is changed.