By JAMES KUNDA –
VICE-PRESIDENT Inonge Wina has advised politicians to refrain from corruption in their quest for office as the country is losing colossal sums of money through unwarranted by-elections.
Ms Wina, who is National Planning Minister, said politicians should be responsible in their conduct as corruption in the electoral process is costing the country money which could have been channelled towards developmental programmes.
She said this in Parliament yesterday when responding to a question by Lukulu West UPND Member of Parliament (MP) Misheck Mutelo who asked her office on how many parliamentary by-elections the country has held from September 2011 to September 2015.
Ms Wina stepped in after Deputy Minister in her office Bwalya Chungu indicated that 35 by-elections were held during the four year period costing the country K376.9 million.
She brushed aside allegations that the by-elections were induced by the ruling party as 17 of the 35 were caused by seat nullifications by the courts.
“We should examine ourselves and our conscience to ensure that we are always doing the right thing during elections because corruption is costing the country a lot of money.
“Every political party is at fault of even adopting MP’s who have been cited for corruption before the courts and we must also put a stop to this,” she said.
The House also heard that police had instituted investigations over the alleged attack on Rainbow party secretary general Wynter Kabimba by unknown people at a radio station in Chipata recently.
Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila said the outcome of the investigations would be made public as soon as police concluded their work.
Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu said 45 Zambian males would next year undertake a safety trial of the Sondashi formula to prove its effectiveness as a cure of HIV/AIDS.
Dr Kaingu said in a ministerial statement that the 45 would do so on voluntary basis prior to an efficacy test which would scientifically prove if the formula would work on human beings or not.