Harry Kalaba Repays Debt

Democratic Party President Harry Kalaba has paid back the money he owes to the treasury in connection with his illegal stay in office following the dissolution of Parliament in 2016.

Kalaba paid the amount of K60,434.88 in full on Tuesday. As he repaid the debt he called on others to do the same.

“Fellow Countrymen and women I am happy to announce to you today that as I pledged to the people of Zambia, that I am ready to pay back the salary that I and my fellow Ministers where paid in 2016 at the time we should have been out of office but continued to perform some official duties. I will not belabor the point of misinformation or poor guidance by the appointing authority but rather hasten to say that I have today honored that obligation,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“I have over the last few years made it clear that upon being advised the account to deposit the funds in I will be the first to pay back. I am glad to inform you that I have today 15th December, 2020 redeemed that commitment by paying back what was owed to the people of Zambia.” 

Earlier this month the Constitutional Court gave 64 former cabinet ministers, their deputies and provincial ministers 30 days in which to pay back the money owed by cabinet ministers who were deemed to have illegally stayed in office in the run up to the 2016 elections.   

In August 2016 the courts determined that ministers must pay back their allowances and salaries for the period following the dissolution of Parliament. During this time cabinet members stayed in office and continued to draw their salary and benefits, which the courts ruled to be illegal following a challenge. 

Since then the process to recover the money owed has been slow and drawn out. In November 2019 state advocate Francis Mwale set out the challenges encountered by the state in determining the precise amount to be paid. 

Minister of Justice Given Lubinda has previously stated that government is committed to ensuring return of the money owed once the amount to be repaid has been established. Hon Lubinda is among those owing funds, with his debt totalling K56,226.92. Last week Lubinda said he was reflecting on the possibility of making an application to the court to extend the period for payment. “I don’t think it’s the intention of the court to starve me and my family for the next two months,” he is quoted as stating. 

The amount owed by the former officials was reduced from K4.7 million to K4.2 million in September 2020. The reduction of the figure by the state came as a result of a correction to the figure concerning repatriation allowances, which stand at K8,000 not K15,000 as had been demanded.