EDITORIAL: Public procurement or political plunder?

Public procurement, once envisioned as a tool to advance development and ensure fair access to national opportunities, has mutated into a lucrative feeding trough for the politically connected. It’s no longer about service delivery or value for money - it’s about who you know and what favours you can call in.



This week’s revelations about a multi-million-dollar contract awarded to Cha-Cha-Cha Management Consultancy - a company linked to minister James Sankwasa - should make every taxpayer’s blood boil. The consultancy was reportedly handed the task of shutting down Agribusdev, not through competitive bidding or transparent evaluation, but under the dubious cover of an “emergency procurement.” An emergency to dissolve a state agency?



The law is clear: direct procurement without open bidding is only permitted in cases of national disasters, imminent threats to life or the environment, or rapid deterioration of public assets. Agribusdev may have been struggling, but it certainly wasn’t spewing fire or threatening to collapse into a sinkhole. So what exactly was the “emergency” - other than the urgency to enrich a politically favoured entity? The incoming administration has reportedly prioritised a revamp of the public procurement system. That can’t come soon enough. The current system has become a masterclass in manipulation - a playground for well-connected middlemen, ghost consultants, and shady contractors who never seem to lose, no matter how poor their performance. Cleaning up procurement must be more than a talking point - it must become a national imperative. Because while the wicked keep burning the midnight oil to raid the national jar, ordinary citizens are left with empty promises and eroded trust. Enough is enough. We need a system that serves the people - not the politically privileged.