COURT CONVICTS MEDICAL DOCTOR FOR SPENDING K9, 000 ABOVE HIS THRESHOLD
A public medical doctor in Western province will spend the next nine months in jail after he authorizes for the purchase of two laptop computers for K39, 000, an amount above his K30, 000 approval threshold.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Court sitting in Kalabo District has sentenced Kalabo District Health Director Dr Neto Mbwayu to nine months’ imprisonment for one count of corruption-related offence.
Dr Mbwayu, 42, of Winela area in Kalabo District, was charged by the Anti-Corruption Commission in October 2025 with two counts of willful failure to comply with procurement guidelines and one count of making payment from public revenue for services not adequately rendered.
Particulars of the offences are that between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2022, while serving as District health director at Kalabo District Health Office, Dr Mbwayu approved a payment of K39,000 for the purchase of two HP Pavilion laptops, an amount above his K30,000 approval threshold and without a written request from the user department.
He also authorized a K4,000 payment for upholstery of a motor vehicle seat, a service which was not adequately rendered.
In mitigation, Dr Mbwayu who was represented by a lawyer, appealed to the court to exercise leniency as he was a father, saying his wife had just delivered a baby three weeks ago adding that his services as a Doctor will be missed by the community of Kalabo.
When delivering judgement in the matter, Principal Resident Magistrate Preston Chiluba convicted Dr Mbwayu on one count of willful failure to comply with procurement guidelines and sentenced him to nine (9) months’ imprisonment