Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) believes that the story carried in the News Diggers newspaper edition of 29th April 2020 on the University of Zambia (UNZA)’s new staff disciplinary code warrants a lot of probing and potentially casts the institution in bad light especially with the recent revelations from the audit report that revealed mismanagement of funds at the institution.
Given some of its contents, one is inclined to believe that this draft disciplinary code has a hidden motive to silence whistle blowers who are key to exposing corruption and fraud that happens in public institutions such as UNZA. As an organization that stands for openness in the management of public resources as well as protection of whistle blowers, we strongly feel that UNZA should explain to the general public why it is in a hurry to replace the existing 2013 code and why it is putting in place punitive measures for its employees which are contrary of the Higher Education Act of 2013. It is worrying to see that institutions that are supposed to play a leading role in facilitating freedom of expression are seemingly at the forefront of limiting such expression and therefore making headlines for the wrong reasons. It leaves us with a lot of questions on whether a university such as UNZA has the right to have such fetters on academic freedom or whether the new code is targeted at their outspoken employee Union.
It is only fair to say that given UNZA’s stature as the highest institution of learning in Zambia and therefore a place where freedom of expression should be allowed to flourish, we do not expect to see decisions made seemingly with a motive to make it more difficult for staff to hold its management accountable for their actions. Our expectation of the UNZA management is that they will be transparent in the way they deal with the employee disciplinary code and aim at improving grievance mechanisms rather than making them more restrictive. We are aware that management is set to launch the new whistleblowers policy which we hope will protect whistle blowers from unwarranted dismissals as described in the new disciplinary code. If anything, UNZA management should be exploring ways of enhancing their accountability to the public by making it easier for whistleblowers to raise alarm.
We are living in a time where the democratic space for people to express themselves appears to be shrinking, and therefore, we do not expect UNZA to take a leading role in dimming the little light of hope we get from academic institutions.
Reuben L. Lifuka
TI-Z Chapter President
