It will take Genuine Commitment and Serious Patriotism to break the cartels and end Corruption at the Ministry of Health- Antonio Mwanza

It will take Genuine Commitment and Serious Patriotism to break the cartels and end Corruption at the Ministry of Health because the amount of monies involved is too huge and the rot is too deep and has become endemic. Very few people can resist the temptation to make quick money, this is why you need […]

It will take Genuine Commitment and Serious Patriotism to break the cartels and end Corruption at the Ministry of Health because the amount of monies involved is too huge and the rot is too deep and has become endemic.

Very few people can resist the temptation to make quick money, this is why you need strong systems and strong institutions and not just good people to stamp out corruption and theft in public institutions.

FORMER Health minister Dr Alex Katakwe has advised newly appointed Health Minister Prof Roma Chilengi to be wary of cartels within the ministry, saying some people can go to great lengths to protect their “selfish” interests, reports News Diggers.

The new Minister should immediately:

1. Commission an independent forensic audit of major MoH procurements, contracts, tenders and payments over the past several years.
2. Follow the money. Examine beneficial ownership of suppliers, contractors and companies repeatedly winning Ministry contracts, and identify conflicts of interest.

3. Freeze suspicious transactions and contracts where there is credible evidence of fraud or irregularity — while allowing lawful due process to take its course.
4. Rotate officials in high-risk positions where prolonged control of procurement, warehousing, payments or licensing creates opportunities for capture.

5. Strengthen whistle-blower protection so that honest officers can report wrongdoing without becoming victims of retaliation.
6. Refer evidence of criminal conduct immediately to the ACC, police or other competent authorities. Administrative transfers are not punishment for corruption.
7. Prosecute proven offenders and recover the money. If public resources were stolen, dismissal alone is not justice. The State must pursue the proceeds of crime through the courts.

8. Publish procurement information proactively — who won, what was supplied, at what price, and whether the goods were actually delivered.
9. Digitise procurement and stock management to reduce human discretion, ghost deliveries, inflated prices and manipulation of records.
10. Protect professional civil servants who refuse to participate in wrongdoing. The Ministry must become a place where integrity is rewarded, not punished.

Antonio Mourinho Mwanza
DPP President

Wednesday, 16 September 2026