Zambia Charges Two Former Education Officials Over US$259m Contract
ZAMBIA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What happened Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission arrested and charged two former Ministry of Education officials on 16 September 2026.
- —Who Henry Tukombe, 57, a former permanent secretary, and Jacob Masatunya, 53, a former head of procurement.
- —The contract A supply contract with Mikalile Trading Company Limited, a Hong Kong-based firm.
- —The numbers The contract principal is US$259.25 million. The total loan obligation attached to it is US$401.8 million.
- —Who announced it ACC spokesperson Joseph Mwenya.
- —Where they are now Both have been released on bond and are awaiting court appearance. Neither has entered a plea.
Two numbers are circulating in this case. They are not the same number, and the difference is the financing.
Zambia’s Anti-Corruption Commission has charged two former Ministry of Education officials. The arrests were announced on 16 September 2026 and concern a supply contract with a Hong Kong-based company. The contract principal is US$259.25 million, within a total loan obligation of US$401.8 million.
Who Has Been Charged
Henry Tukombe, 57, served as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education.
Jacob Masatunya, 53, headed procurement at the same ministry.
ACC spokesperson Joseph Mwenya announced the arrests on 16 September 2026.
Both men were released on bond and are awaiting a court appearance. Neither has entered a plea.
The Two Figures
Reporting has attached the number US$401.8 million to this case, and that figure is real but specific.
It is the total loan obligation: principal plus the financing costs Zambia would repay over the life of the facility.
The contract principal, the amount payable to the supplier, is US$259.25 million.
Using the larger number to describe the contract overstates what the company was contracted to receive.
The Counterparty
The supplier is Mikalile Trading Company Limited, registered in Hong Kong.
Supplier-credit arrangements of this kind bundle goods and financing into a single package.
They are common in African education and health procurement because they move faster than budget appropriations.
However, they also convert a purchase into sovereign debt, which is why they attract audit attention.
Why the Structure Matters
In a supplier-credit deal, the government is buying goods and borrowing at the same time.
The financing cost is embedded in the arrangement rather than negotiated separately in a competitive market.
That makes value for money harder to test after the fact.
It is also where the gap between US$259.25 million and US$401.8 million comes from.
The Currency Point
The amounts in this case are denominated in United States dollars, not kwacha.
That is normal for imported supply contracts financed offshore.
It also means Zambia carries the exchange-rate risk on repayment, without any hedge in the contract itself.
A weaker kwacha raises the domestic cost of the same dollar obligation.
The Political Setting
President Hakainde Hichilema came to office promising to prosecute corruption from the previous administration.
The ACC has brought a series of cases against former officials since 2021.
The commission itself has faced scrutiny, including over the conduct of its own officers.
Prosecutions of this kind therefore carry a double test: the evidence, and the perception that it is applied evenly.
What Is Not Yet Known
The ACC has not published the specific counts against each man.
It has not said when the contract was signed, or how much of it was disbursed.
Mikalile Trading Company Limited has not commented publicly.
An arrest is a charge, not a finding. The case has not been tested in court.
What to Watch
The first court appearance, which will set out the counts in detail.
Whether the contract itself is suspended, cancelled or allowed to run.
Any statement from the Ministry of Finance on the outstanding loan obligation.
And whether further officials or intermediaries are charged in the same matter.
More: Africa news and analysis, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was arrested in Zambia?
Henry Tukombe, 57, a former education permanent secretary, and Jacob Masatunya, 53, a former head of procurement.
Who announced the arrests?
Anti-Corruption Commission spokesperson Joseph Mwenya, on 16 September 2026.
How big is the contract?
The contract principal is US$259.25 million. The total loan obligation attached to it is US$401.8 million.
Why are there two figures?
The larger figure includes the financing costs of the supplier credit, not just the amount payable to the supplier.
Who is the supplier?
Mikalile Trading Company Limited, a firm registered in Hong Kong.
Are the two men in custody?
No. Both were released on bond and are awaiting a court appearance. Neither has entered a plea.
Sources: Zambia Anti-Corruption Commission statement of 16 September 2026 via spokesperson Joseph Mwenya, Zambian press reporting on the Mikalile contract.
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