Officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) have collected some files from the suspended Lusaka City Council (LCC) in relation to a matter in which Patriotic Front (PF) members of Parliament, councillors and officials are alleged to have irregularly shared 102 plots in Lilayi.
The officials asked for all the files, minutes and a list of names of beneficiaries of the plots from the office of the mayor, which is now occupied by a Government-appointed administrator, Solomon Sakala.
Sources at ACC said vital documents were collected in the ongoing probe into failure by the council to advertise the plots in line with the law.
Ten plots were awarded to Lusaka Mayor Daniel Chisenga and five to his deputy without following procedure.
Mr Sakala also confirmed having received officials from ACC whom he said were asking for details about the plot allocations, which his office provided.
Mr Sakala, who is Copperbelt provincial local government officer, said his role was to coordinate the activities at the suspended council to ensure that everything was put in order and corrected in liaison with the team of auditors appointed by the minister of Local Government and Housing.
He said his job was to work closely with those assigned to restore sanity at the biggest council in the country.
The Lilayi Housing Project is State land and requires the council to seek authority from the minister of Lands before it could be advertised to residents.
The council is also required to advertise all plots above 100 but the 102 plots were shared and allocated without such procedure being followed.
The Mayor Mr Chisenga said in an interview that he would comply with the investigations in line with the position taken by the PF.
Declining to comment further, Mr Chisenga said he was no longer in office since the council was suspended on January 21.
LCC public relations manager Chanda Makanta confirmed having seen officials from the ACC who said they were at the council to investigate irregularities in plot allocations.
“I can confirm that we received officials from the ACC and they went to meet the Local Government administrator.
“I do not have further details on the matter since it is now officially under investigations
by the security institutions,” Ms Makanta said.
PF spokesperson, Given Lubinda said his party was ready for investigations by the ACC and maintained that the party did not breach any piece of legislation.
Lusaka City Council was suspended last month following allegations that councillors and officials allocated themselves plots without advertising them.
[Times of Zambia]
thieving PF councillors. are these the bums we can entrust with trillions of state coffers, hell no. Give them a foor they take a mile. fellow zambians you can see what PF is capable of doing total looting if allowed to take over power. given lubinda took the whole of barren land at prime chilenje market now called namakau or club vegas or pa chilaiti. that whole area is his and you wonder how he got it if not thru manupilation and corruption.
The ACC investigations should go backwards to 1991 to come up with a true picture of abuse of privileges and utter disregard of the law by the councillors and ministers.
#2 mule indeed that will unearth a lot of corrupt practices involving council chief officers like kabimba who was town clerk for lusaka
Mwanawasa Sold Unza Land – Sikota (25 November 2003)
PRESIDENT Mwanawasa sold the piece of UNZA land that he claims he transferred to his friend, opposition UPND acting president Sakwiba Sikota charged yesterday.
Commenting on President Levy Mwanawasa’s statement that he surrendered to government the University of Zambia (UNZA) piece of land he is accused of having corruptly acquired and transferred the other to a friend and client, Sikota said President Mwanawasa’s statement didn’t address questions that people have raised over the land he grabbed from the university.
I agree with # 2 infact more things will be reviewed with what the passed Mayors did, they just conceterate on the Mayors from 1991.
There was that one time auditors moved in to probe PF led councils. What happened to those audits? We seem to get excited over trivial issues and badmouthing, and are never interested in following up matters. No one has bothered with the results of the previous audit and yet we are up in arms over this issue. Can we have proper investigative journalism on this issue, not the usual tripe we are being fed.
The MMD are the real inventors of corruption in Zambia. Now they want to divert attention to a procedural issue at the Lusaka City Council…let the investigations take place independently and we see what happens. If PF members are found wanting they should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
I wish the MMD could press the foot back on the peddle of anti-corruption so we can live peacefully again. But knowing them – especially that this is an election year, they will go corrupting people even to get a vote. They are already threatening people that if you dont vote for us you wont see development in your area! Awe mwandi. CORRUPTION IS BAD let us stop it…and the MMD lead the anticorruption way since you are in power for the remaing few months – begin by registering the london jgt
Rasheed Lubinda should resign as chairman for African Parliamentarians against Corruption (APAC) if he has any integrity remaining.
This is what PF/Kaponyas mean when they say ‘Donchi kubeba’.Dont tell them that we are looting public coffers.
And they are not yet fully in office HH will win if he distances himself from these people
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# 11, I can see that your mother is also “buga” and all your sisters, if you have any are “buga”. If they are black, sorry my brother…”black zed women tefyakwesha” to borrow your own words. Poor woman that bore you, for she is not regarded by her son who wishes he was white!
Who is interested in “riches” by the way. Let Bill Gates and Mr. Toyota talk about being filthy rich not you! Wishful thinker!!
In Kabwata, there is no youth facility one can point at apart from Breakpoint and Pa chilaiti. The land should be utilized for the community and not just leaders and their girlfriends at the airport. The hour for change in Kabwata is here. Viva youth vote!
Shame on ACC…Never initiate investigations unless ala bee gbagbo mubarak red lip shikashiwa says so