Mushimba demands answers from government over missing Mukula logs, uncollected revenue

Former minister Brian Mushimba has questioned the government's management of public resources following the release of the 2025 Auditor General's Report, citing uncollected mining penalties, thousands of unaccounted-for Mukula logs and other financial irregularities.

In a Facebook post, Mushimba described the report as an indictment of the government's stewardship of public resources and demanded explanations from the responsible government agencies.

The report found that the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development had failed to collect K626.64 million in penalties from mining licence holders, while a further K30.48 million in area charges remained outstanding.

Mushimba also questioned how 5,568 of 5,595 confiscated Mukula logs recorded at government facilities could not be physically accounted for, arguing that the findings raised concerns about the protection of public assets.

He called on the Presidency to take responsibility for addressing the shortcomings and set out clear plans for resolving them.

The Facebook post also cited unremitted Immigration revenue, unaccounted-for customs duties and incomplete land records as evidence of weaknesses in public financial management.

The audit findings identify gaps in revenue collection, record-keeping and asset management. They do not, on their own, establish that the discrepancies resulted from theft or deliberate misconduct.