The Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested and charged Chama District Education Board Secretary Titus Mbewe, 56, over payments of nearly K2.5 million made while he headed education in Mkushi District. Mr Mbewe faces two counts of abuse of authority of office contrary to…

The Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested and charged Chama District Education Board Secretary Titus Mbewe, 56, over payments of nearly K2.5 million made while he headed education in Mkushi District. Mr Mbewe faces two counts of abuse of authority of office contrary to Section 21(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, Chapter 91 of the Laws of Zambia. He also faces one count of wilful failure to follow applicable procedure contrary to Section 34(2)(b) of the same Act. He has been released on bond and is expected to appear in court soon. ACC head of corporate communications Joseph Mwenya announced the arrest in a statement.

The ACC alleges that between January and December 2025, while serving as Mkushi District Education Board Secretary in Central Province, Mr Mbewe facilitated payments of K1,424,115 to Frelun Commodities Limited for the supply of white maize. He is also alleged to have facilitated payments of K1,073,000 to Ichikwanka Multi-Purpose Cooperative for the supply of dried beans. According to the Commission, both payments were made before the Mkushi council secretary approved the contracts. Together the two payments come to K2,497,115. The supplies were linked to the school feeding programme.

“Further, he allegedly authorised full payment to the suppliers before the goods were delivered,” Mr Mwenya said.

On the third count, the ACC alleges that during the same period Mr Mbewe, acting with persons unknown, facilitated the abrogation of procedure. He is alleged to have claimed that the Evaluation Committee and the Procurement Committee had evaluated the tenders when they had not. Those committees exist to test whether a supplier can deliver at a fair price before public money is committed. Bypassing them removes the main safeguard in public procurement. Mr Mbewe was transferred to Chama after the period in question and was serving there at the time of his arrest.

School feeding programmes give learners a daily meal and are one of the most effective tools for keeping children, especially in rural areas, in class. Maize and beans are staples of the programme because they are locally produced and nutritious. Any loss of funds meant for such supplies falls directly on pupils. That explains the strength of public reaction to the case. Mr Mbewe is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the allegations are yet to be tested in court.

Members of the public reacting to the arrest called for wider action. Some urged audits of all District Education Board Secretaries and head teachers, particularly over school grants, while others asked investigators to look at other districts, including Mkushi and Chipili. One reader proposed that corruption involving public money should be non-bailable and carry a life sentence on conviction. Another asked how the Grow Zambia Agenda could succeed with such conduct in the public service.

The arrest comes days after Minister of Health Roma Chilengi made public audit findings showing reported procurement irregularities involving contracts worth K1.4 billion at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA). Southern African Network Against Corruption (SANAC) president Kasenzi Kalenga urged other ministries to follow that example. He said ministers should ask difficult questions about procurement, spending, inventory and contract management in their portfolios. Dr Kalenga said permanent secretaries, boards and chief executives must act on warning signs early rather than wait for scandals to surface.

“For SANAC, this is the kind of institutional resolve that other ministries should emulate,” Dr Kalenga said.

He said accountability should be an ongoing institutional duty, not a reaction to exposed irregularities. Public funds, he said, must be used for their intended purposes and deliver tangible benefits to citizens. Effective internal controls, transparent procurement and consistent leadership were essential to restoring public confidence. The ACC has not said whether further arrests are expected in the Mkushi matter.