FORMER Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) Director General Victor Nyasulu has challenged the Government and all investigative wings to release reports regarding the controversial 61 containers of medicines that were reportedly marooned at a private yard in Makeni, a scandal that contributed to his dismissal.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia has also argued that the procurement was corrupt and irregular as no government-to-government agreement existed at the time.
Mr Nyasulu, in an explosive expose during a radio interview, questioned why reports from the police, Drug Enforcement Commission, and Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority had not been made public.
“There is information that the medicines were distributed to hospitals, but why the findings have not been shared is what I don’t understand,” he said.
When the scandal broke last year, the ministry of health explained that the consignment was part of a Government-to-Government bulk procurement of medicines and medical supplies valued at $24 million from the Arab Republic of Egypt. Of the 61 containers, 23 contain Intravenous (IV) Fluids and Syringes, which arrived between January and April 2024, while the remaining 38 containers, carrying assorted essential medicines, arrived in June 2024.
The containers of medicines had been marooned at the J&J depot in Makeni before public pressure forced the ministry to move the consignment and offloaded at the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA) central warehouse in Lusaka.
However, Mr Nyasulu, who was in charge of ZAMMSA claims reports from various investigative wings relating to this scandal have not been released to the public.
Mr Nyasulu has also alleged that he was fired from his position by then Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo because he refused to act as her puppet.
Speaking during Hot FM Radio’s Hot Seat programme on Tuesday, Mr Nyasulu admitted he was politically appointed to the role but claimed that Ms Masebo, who allegedly sponsored his appointment, expected him to be under her control.
“I stood my ground to do the right thing and because she couldn’t control me, she resorted to frustrating and sabotaging my work,” he said.
Mr Nyasulu said one of the allegations used to discredit him was that he was awarding contracts to Patriotic Front (PF) cadres, an accusation he denied. He said his problems escalated after he disclosed that ZAMMSA’s books were in disarray, with liabilities exceeding assets.
He explained that in response, he and the agency’s board chairperson wrote to the Secretary to the Treasury and received authority to use eight percent of a US$200 million allocation for security enhancements, including CCTV cameras and vehicle monitoring gadgets.
According to him, this move angered Ms Masebo, who claimed she had not been consulted despite being involved in the process.
“I would have walked away before I was even dismissed, but there was a scheme to fire me by hook or crook,” Mr Nyasulu said.
Mr Nyasulu described governance at ZAMMSA as chaotic and heavily influenced by politics. He warned that ongoing interference risked reversing reforms, particularly the shift of procurement responsibilities from the Ministry of Health to ZAMMSA.
“People are sabotaging the system so that procurement can go back to the ministry. The agency needs better relations with the ministry to function effectively,” he said.
He defended his own political appointment, saying cadre deployment was not unusual in government. “Even the ANC in South Africa uses it. The key issue is qualification, not politics,” he added.
Efforts to get a response from Ms. Masebo failed as her phone went unanswered and was not responding to text and WhatsApp messages which she had read.
