When it comes to fighting and ending corruption in Zambia, late President Michael Sata is still the only one who held the most effective method, at least in the short term. Sata defeated the indomitable MMD through an innocuous idea he dubbed, “Donchi Kubeba.”  To dislodge the corrupt MMD, it took a boomerang strategy, that allured the corrupt elements to offer freebies to the electorates. “Donchi Kubeba” advocated that the electorates receive the offers but still go ahead and vote against the MMD. It worked; Sata cruised through to becoming Zambia’s fifth democratically-elected president.

Donchi Kubeba Revisited

“Donchi Kubeba,” has already borne fruit in defeating the MMD regime that was on a course to setting another record for longevity in power. It was a brilliant idea that encouraged the solicitation of “corrupt votes” but without succumbing to corruption.  That was the only way of winning against the MMD which had, through Guy Scott, promulgated another “20-year-in-power,” doctrine. Without “Donchi Kubeba,” Zambia would have seen another de facto One-Party State under MMD rule. “Donchi Kubeba” solidified Zambia’s multiparty democracy tradition by ensuring that corrupt parties do not hang on to power eternally.

Enact Corruption Reporting and Compensation Act (Zambia)

For “Donchi Kubeba” to become a true corruption alleviating instrument in Zambia, the idea must be transformed and turned into law. Zambia must pass the Corruption Reporting and Compensation Act (CRACA). The rationale of the legislation will be to encourage people in the nation to accept corruption offers and then be rewarded at twice the accruement when they report corruption to the relevant agency. For example, if a person is offered K400,000.00 and successfully reports the corruption, that person should be rewarded with K800,000.00.

CRACA should be administered by an independent agency that does not report to the president or any government ministry. The agency should be completely autonomous and should serve independently of the mandate of the Anti-Corruption Commission. This will eliminate excessive red tape and fiat. In the process, it will ensure anonymity and confidentiality. Those who report’s identities cannot be disclosed to any branch of government or even to the president.

CRACA will apply only to the public sector: Government, government ministries and departments, and government agencies. Anyone who serves in the public service, including the president, should be subject to CRACA. Parliament should set aside a fund each budget-year for the management of CRACA. The Director of CRACA-created-agency should be required to report the activities of the agency to the National Assembly every year. The report so presented to the National Assembly must then be published in order for every citizen to have access to it. If implemented properly, CRACA will significantly reduce public and political corruption in Zambia. Whistleblowers and informants will feel extremely safe to report corruption while they benefit from reporting. People will feel comfortable to fight and attack corruption because they will have an incentive for doing so.

Free Offer of the Book, “Allergic to Corruption: Legacy of President Michael Sata of Zambia”

To effectuate this idea, I am also giving for free access to my book, Allergic to Corruption. The book can be read in its entity on my website (https://charlesmwewa.com/allergic-to-corruption) or it can be downloaded to the readers’ phones and tables in a free Amazon Kindle version (https://www.amazon.com/ALLERGIC-CORRUPTION-Legacy-President-Michael-ebook/dp/B07YFWX27C/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=allergic+to+corruption+by+charles+mwewa&qid=1569931682&s=books&sr=1-1).

Let us together make corruption history in Zambia by invoking and continuing the fight President Michael Sata had begun. This is the most effective short-tern fix. The long-term strategy, however, will involve incorporating ideas of a corrupt-free society in basic education curriculum. That is, Zambian children should begin to learn about the perilous and indignities of corruption right from Grade One.