President Hakainde Hichilema appointed Solwezi East Member […]

President Hakainde Hichilema appointed Solwezi East Member of Parliament Dr Alex Katakwe as Minister of Health on March 13, 2026, replacing Dr Elijah Muchima who had served in the portfolio from July 2024 until February 2026 after taking over from Sylvia Masebo who held the ministry between September 2021 and July 2024.

Barely 2 months after his appointment, Dr Katakwe has found himself at the centre of controversy after allegedly suggesting during his farewell address that there was nothing wrong with public officials receiving “something for talk time” from members of the public as appreciation for services rendered.

The Minister’s remarks have triggered backlash from governance activists, State House and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), with some accusing the minister of dangerously normalising corruption in a ministry already battling theft of medicines, procurement scandals and public mistrust.

Dr. Katakwe’s statement has also revived memories of the late former president Edgar Lungu’s controversial 2018 “ubomba mwibala alya mwibala” remarks, which then opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema strongly condemned as glorifying corruption and abuse of public resources.

In a sharply worded statement issued on February 11, 2018 on his official Facebook page, Hichilema accused Mr Lungu of confirming corruption within government, stating that public resources meant to reduce poverty were instead being diverted to individuals.

At the time, Hichilema warned that the remarks reflected a dangerous culture of self-enrichment and vowed that “we shall take decisive actions to stop Mr Lungu from further depleting our country’s resources.”

Now, eight years later, critics argue that Dr Katakwe’s comments appear to echo the same political language the UPND fiercely condemned while in opposition.

However, State House in a statement, quickly moved to distance President Hichilema from the remarks, reiterating government’s unequivocal zero tolerance stance on corruption.

State House further stated that there is no threshold of moderation adding that any benefit accepted by a public officer in connection with public service amounts to corruption and would not be tolerated.

And on May 18, 2026, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also issued a public statement warning that what may appear as appreciation or “talk time” can legally constitute gratification or a disguised bribe under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012.

The Commission further reminded public officers that the revised Code of Ethics prohibits civil servants from accepting gifts, rewards or benefits that may compromise judgement, integrity or impartiality.

Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Advocates for Democratic Governance Foundation (ADEG) described Dr Katakwe’s remarks as extremely unfortunate and inconsistent with ethical leadership expectations.

ADEG Executive Director, Gideon Musonda said that his remarks would mean direct encouragement of civil servants to involve themselves in corrupt activities where a service is provided and expect something in return.

Musonda added that the comments risk damaging government’s anti-corruption credibility because the Ministry of Health has historically faced repeated allegations involving medicine theft, procurement irregularities and abuse of public resources.

“A wrong is a wrong no matter who commits it, and even if the minister is out of office now, he should come back to the public and retract that statement because it dents the image of the President’s fight against corruption,” he said.

Article by Phillip Sinkala