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Former Zambian diplomat, Emmanuel Mwamba, has urged the government to directly address corruption concerns raised by outgoing United States Ambassador, Michael Gonzales, saying issuing threats or warnings amounted to avoiding accountability.
In a statement issued on Monday, Mwamba criticised Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Mulambo Haimbe’s reaction to Gonzales’ farewell remarks, describing it as defensive and belated.
“Tell your government to answer to the matters of concern rather than issue belated warnings and threats,” Mwamba said.
He argued that the United States — Zambia’s largest bilateral partner — provided more than US$500 million annually and had done so for over two decades, giving Washington legitimate interest in how its aid was utilised.
“No country has given Zambia annual grants at this level. It would be a failure of accountability if they allowed the receiving state to abuse, steal and loot this support,” Mwamba said. “It would be folly for them to remain silent in the face of corruption and looting currently taking place,” he added.
Mwamba outlined several issues he said Gonzales had flagged, including alleged looting of public pension funds, appointment of individuals accused of corruption to lead the Anti-Corruption Commission, failure to discipline corrupt Cabinet members, and alleged theft of US-donated funds, medicines and medical supplies. He also pointed to U.S. support for 23,000 health workers.
He further urged government to publish what he described as a “500-page expert report” on industrial pollution in the Kafue River, which he claimed had exposed millions of Zambians to heavy metals and carcinogens.
“Mulambo Haimbe and your government must answer, not threaten or cry principles of sovereignty and independence pa ndalama shabene (over money that is not theirs). Stop the looting,” he said.
Mwamba added that President Hakainde Hichilema, while in opposition, had often welcomed public criticism from Western diplomats.
“So what has changed now? Chiwamila galu kuluma mbuzi?” he asked, implying double standards.
Meanwhile, Government has strongly rejected Gonzales’ farewell comments, describing them as inconsistent with diplomatic norms and a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Haimbe said the ambassador’s remarks were “deeply regrettable” and “undiplomatic,” arguing that they undermined mutual respect between sovereign states.
He said Gonzales’ comments violated Article 3 of the Convention, which outlines the functions of a diplomatic mission, and Article 41, which prohibited diplomats from interfering in the internal affairs of the host state.
“The remarks by the outgoing Ambassador violate Article 3 and Article 41, which require diplomats to respect the laws of the receiving state and refrain from interference,” Haimbe said.
Read More: Zambia rejects US envoy’s farewell remarks, cites breach of diplomatic norms
On April 30, 2026, Gonzales delivered a strongly worded farewell speech accusing successive Zambian governments of corruption, aid dependency and failure to build sustainable systems despite decades of American support.
He warned that the U.S. could no longer justify large aid budgets without fundamental reforms.
Gonzales said American assistance had yielded major gains, including HIV epidemic control, a 20-year rise in life expectancy and significant reductions in malaria deaths. However, he argued systemic theft and weak governance had undermined those investments.
He said the fragility of Zambia’s health system became clear when Washington paused health funding last year to conduct a review.
“Despite over US$7 billion in U.S. health assistance since 2000, that crumbling system revealed that while we thought we were building capacity, successive Zambian governments had not built systems,” he said.
He accused Zambian officials of diverting public funds “to their own pockets” while “letting the United States pay for healthcare.”
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