# 1. Fire Trucks & Red Flags
The year was 2014. President at the time Micheal Chilufya Sata had passed, leaving behind a power vacuum and a fight for control. A messy intra-party fight ensued. Ultimately the victor was Edgar Lungu. A few months later, came the infamous scandal — the 42 fire trucks that cost the government over $42 million.
In September 2015, the Ministry of Local Government & Housing issued a tender for the supply of 42 Fire Trucks. 16 companies, both local and international, participated. The lowest total bid value was $3.2 million and the highest was $49.6 million by Aubion Export Services (Findlay’s outfit). In the end the second highest bidder, Grandview International Limited secured the contract at a total value of $42million.
As per the tender requirements in addition to equipment supply, local user training was required along with 12-month warranty. Two other bidders worth noting are NAFFCO, a reputable global supplier of firefighting equipment based in Dubai and Ziegler, an original German based manufacturer and one of the largest suppliers of original manufactured firefighting equipment in the world. Both companies’ bids fell within the median price range of $16 million. NAFFCO included all specifications along with all other requirements in their tender and quoted significantly lower. Ultimately, Grandview walked away with approx. $28million dollars before kick-backs to the Permanent Secretary and Minister of Housing and Local Government Steven Kampyongo at the time.
How did the Ministry of Local Government get away with this? Well, besides absolute impunity and the absence of an independent Anti Corruption Commission, they did it with exaggerated provisions in the original bid document and subsequent addendum — ministry officials, other Cabinet Ministers such as Vincent Mwale and Grandview tried to justify the exorbitant price through “spare parts provision and training related cost items”.
You may recall that in 2015 Dr. Chilufya attempted to use the same “grey area” in validating the procurement of 50 ambulances which included “5 years spare parts provision and user training”. That original contract was later cancelled and Chitalu redirected it through a private channel. The contract provisions were wholly amended, IVECO ambulances were delivered instead and despite this full payment of $11.5 million was made.
As time passed the red flags were clear to see. Leading up to the 2016 General Elections the controversial “42-for-42” scandal was consistently discussed and widely known. Many more scandals emerged in the run-up to the 2016 elections. These points were clear indications as to the motives of the government and its cabinet. More importantly, it served as a clear red flag, a warning of the credibility of the Head of State vying for power. Despite this, most of the nation still had comfort in the party’s leadership and allowed the incumbent to force his hand to retain power.
This, however, was not the first occasion where voters had sufficient information to make an informed judgement. Prior to 2015 elections, the professionalism and ethics of our current Head of State was questioned in light of the report of him being suspended due to malpractice.
These red flags, despite being clear, went unheeded. Not once, but twice. It is said that history does not repeat itself, it rhymes. So it did. The decisions made in the past have caused the pain of today. Five years down the line, those that made this choice, the most vulnerable in society, are the same few most affected by this decision. Would it be wrong then to not sympathise with the masses who are victims of their own decisions?
No, this would be unfair. Empathy here is important. In a time where information is so easily spread, we need to consider a low income population who lack the critical assessment of the constant misinformation and propaganda. The current regime’s use of international political strategists and advisors has been extremely powerful in influencing and manipulating the electorate.
In 2015, it was the pro poor messages and building on the image that Sata managed to cultivate of being a man for/of the people. In 2016 more aggressive strategies needed to be taken due to the falling popularity of the PF party at the time — ethnic division was their trump card. During that period, a full push to build the rhetoric of tribalism was embraced. Lungu’s foot soldiers through the campaign trails and public addresses wove in the tribalism narrative. The strategy turned out to be incredibly successful — voters, even secondary level educated ones, bought into the narrative and predominantly voted on the basis of tribe differences.
Trying to recycle the same playbook now as they did in 2016, the current regime’s campaigners have been sent to sway voters on ethnic differences. Surprisingly though, this strategy has somewhat failed, especially in urban areas.
This can primarily be attributed to inflation and a rising cost of living that has created deaf ears to all negative sentiment and misinformation that has been used by the PF to disparage the opposition. This includes the privatisation narrative that was strategically pushed, and still being pushed today.
The last five years of inflationary pressure and a high cost of living is the pinch (or punch) that woke up an entire nation. A case could be made that the timing in the passing of Zambian’s founding father Kenneth Kauda, who worked hard to bring independence to a nation, has shone a light onto the government that is trying to take it away. The founding father, and one of Africa’s greatest statesmen who disseminated the “One Zambia, One Nation” message of unity has echoed louder than the messages of division from the Patriotic Front.
Zambia is at a unique tipping point in its country’s history and here is what hangs in the balance — on one side is emancipation from an unprecedented tyrannical force whilst something may still be salvaged. On the other side, concrete and perpetual economic and social depression.
Consider this with some importance — there is no coming back after this point, as there is little hope of coming back for Uganda and Zimbabwe. Their power and autocratic grip will further strengthen and be enforced by a subservient military and police to one man. Mediocrity (loyalty) will continue being rewarded and the few within the inner circle will rise higher whilst the poor, the millions, fall. Societies and progress crumble. Generations are lost. The youth are wasted.
Empathy is understanding and compassion. Educating and informing your fellow Zambians is collaborating. Help identify and filter through the propaganda together. Let the many red flags, which should be clear by now, motivate you.
You will have to be loud. Most importantly, you will have to be resilient in your fight, for Zambia is facing a second independence, one which now involves not one founding father but a leadership movement by millions of young Zambians. Unity in your fight will get you through this.
