Africa-Press – Zambia. COMPLAINT TO ACC ABOUT THE BRIBING OF CERTAIN MPS
Tuesday, 16th December 2025
Mrs. Daphne Pauline Soko Chabu
The Director General
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)
Anti Corruption House,
Cha Cha Cha Road,
Lusaka,
P.O. Box 50486.
RE; BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS OF MPS
I write with deep concerns that have risen that agents or representatives of President Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, have in the past few days given gifts, presents, cash gifts and in some instances extended threats of arrests to Members of Parliament in their capacity as public officials, with intent to influence the outcome of the vote of proposed constitutional amendments as contained in the National Assembly Bill No. 7 of 2025, that was coming up for Second Reading and Committee Stage during a Special Session of Parliament called to sit on Monday 15th December 2025.
I write to you in your capacity as Director General of rhe Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the lead statutory body mandated to spearhead the fight against corruption as governed by the Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012
BACKGROUND
In May 2025, Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7 of 2025, proposing major electoral and governance changes, including the dramatic increase of the number of MPs in Parliament from 165 to 226(upto 266) was brought to the floor of the House for First Reading.
This matter generated immediate public interest with strong public disapproval and objection as the proposed constitutional amendments did not go through the known and established process of enacting a new or amended Constitution.
Key stakeholders such as the main Church Mother Bodies comprising; the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ).
The Bill was also met with strong opposition from the Law Association of Zambia.
A consortium of over 20 Civil Society Groupings led by Chapter One Foundation raised similar deep concerns.
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT JUDGMENT AGAINST BILL 7
On 27th June 2025, the Constitutional Court declared the Bill unconstitutional, illegal, and a nullity.
This was in the case of Munir Zulu & Celestine Mukandila vs. Attorney General), declared that the process did not have legal framework and had not met the criteria for public consultation and ruled that the proposed Constitution amendments through the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 7 of 2025 was null and void.
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
To respond to the Constitutional Court Ruling, President Hakainde Hichilema appointed a Technical Committee on Constitutional Amendments (TCCA) in October 2025 to review and propose changes to Zambia’s constitution after with the 25-member body tasked to undertake nationwide consultations to gather diverse views for a new constitutional amendment bill.
President Hichilema gave the Committee a short period of about 30 days to gather, collect and process a Report and Draft Constitution.
However, he did not provide for a legal framework for the work.
For this reason, the method reactivated fresh opposition as the process was not being followed as directed amd laid out by the Ruling of the Constitutional Court.
ILLEGAL REINSTATEMENT OF BILL 7
On 2nd December 2025, President Hakainde Hichilema received the Report and Draft Constitution from the Technical Committee on Constitutional Amendment.
Instead of submitting the report to Cabinet for determination and processing for onward submission to Parliament as a new Bill, he shelved the report smd draft constitution.
SPEAKER APPOINTS A SELECT COMMITTEE
Instead of receiving a new Bill, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon.Nelly Mutti, relived the old bill, declared illegal by the Constitutional Court, and appointed a Select Committee to scrutinize the same Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 7 of 2025.
The Committee sat for a week and at the end of its work, produced a Report and the Speaker called for a Special Session of Parliament on Monday 15th December 2025to hear and determine the fate of the Bill.
ALLEGATIONS OF BRIBERY, CORRUPTION AND THREATS
On 12th December, 2025, reports emerged that a number of Patriotic Front Members of Parliament and Independent MPs, were transported and flown to an executive lodge, in Lower Zambezi where they were kept until the morning of 15th December 2025.
This group of MPs is alleged to have received cash gifts of $150,000.00 each paid in two instalments of $75,000 before the vote and after the vote.
There are various reports indicating that the entire corrupt process has been run by State House Special Assistant to the President, Mr. Levy Ngoma. Other organisations and companies are being mentioned as finaciaiers and facilitators in this wide-ranging acts of corruption to manipulate the outcome of the voting of this unconstitutional Bill into law.
Reports have also emerged that some members of parliament were summoned or called by officers from the Zambia Police CID Unit based at Service Head Quarters threatening with arrests on alleged cases previously investigated, if they did not vote for Bill 7.
Further reports also emerged that Government Deputy Chief Whip, Likando Mufalali was also making similar bribery payment to UPND backbenchers.
COMPLAINT
It is important that your Commission investigates these serious allegations. Ifestablished to be true, violates the Constitution and constitutional-making process, undermines the Independent work of the National Assembly as the legislature, a key wing of a democratic government and presents commission of crimes for all involved.
Further, for those officers at Police Service Headquaters who were calling certain MPs threatening them with arrests constitutes acts of blackmail.
I pray that the allegations will be investigated.
Signed;
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
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