“I Paid Three Times and Still Had No Job”

In our latest exposé, Ennety Munshya uncovers a broken, corrupt recruitment system where connections and cash matter more than qualifications.

Desperate job seekers are paying bribes of up to K40,000 to secure health jobs in Zambia’s public service—yet many still end up with nothing.

Mary Banda*, a trained clinical officer from the Copperbelt, has been trying to get into the public service since 2017. After repeated rejections, she resorted to paying bribes — three times in total — amounting to K32,000.

“I applied every year and was always left out until I paid someone,” she says.

In 2020, she paid K15,000 to a contact who vanished once the final list was released without her name. A second attempt in 2021 saw her lose another K7,000. She was promised a place on the replacement list — but again, nothing.

Her third attempt finally landed her a job — but only after paying K20,000.

“The system is corrupt,” she says. “As long as the same people stay in those offices, they’ll keep taking advantage of desperate job seekers.”

Banda isn’t the only one. Several applicants interviewed by MakanDay shared similar stories. Many were asked to pay bribes ranging from K5,000 to K20,000 to secure jobs. While some claim they were recruited without paying, they admit knowing friends who had to pay to get on the list.

Others revealed even higher demands. “Some applicants were asked to pay as much as K40,000,” one source said.

Mwaanga Mulonga*, a registered midwife who completed her training in 2020, says she applied during the 2021 and 2023 recruitment exercises. In 2021, she paid K7,000 in the hope of being hired—but was never recruited and lost the money.

Asked who received the payment, she replied: It’s a chain. You never meet the actual person taking the money. There’s always a middleman.”

She believes the syndicates are run by people already within the health system.

“It’s demoralising to know that without connections, you have to bribe someone to be recruited. Yes, some are lucky and get in on merit, but corruption is high. Imagine—I’m unemployed, yet someone takes the little money I have and disappears.”

She adds that there’s no paperwork or formal communication—just verbal promises. “It’s a gamble. You end up trusting a stranger out of desperation,” she says.

A broken promise of service

Musa Muteta*, who completed a general nursing course in 2021, also spoke of his frustration. He first applied during the 2022 Zambia National Service (ZNS) recruitment.

“We were asked to pay K20,000 by someone working at ZNS. He promised to refund the money if I wasn’t selected.”

His parents helped raise the money, but when his name didn’t appear on the final list, getting a refund was a struggle.

“He resisted at first, but after my parents threatened to report him to his superiors, he returned it in instalments.”

In 2023, a friend offered to connect him with someone “on the inside” for K10,000.

“I refused. I couldn’t keep wasting money. I applied the normal way but still didn’t get picked. I believe when my time comes, it will happen.”

Now volunteering at a health facility for the past two years, Muteta says the current recruitment process disadvantages those without money or connections. He believes the government’s continued use of a centralised database for selection is unfair.

Getting a job in government is no longer about qualifications — it’s about who you know and how much you can pay, job seekers say.

Inside the corruption chain

An official at the Ministry of Health, who spoke to MakanDay on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the system is broken and spiralling out of control.

He said corruption in the recruitment process operates like a chain. Middlemen act as go-betweens for job seekers and members of the selection committee, as well as other officials involved in the hiring process.

These middlemen collect cash payments from applicants and handle all communication on their behalf. The use of cash, the source said, is deliberate—to avoid leaving a trail through mobile money transactions or bank transfers.

“Desperation is what pushes many people to pay these huge sums of money,” the official said. “When you think about how long you’ve been unemployed and the hardships you face, you feel forced to pay someone. The system is broken, and it will take a lot to fix it.”

MakanDay also spoke to a recent nursing graduate from Mwami Dventist Hospital School of Nursing in Chipata, who expressed frustration after seeing her former classmates employed—despite being advised not to apply in order to give priority to previous applicants.

A system in crisis

Despite repeated government pledges to clean up recruitment processes, evidence suggests the problem is worsening. Applicants with no bribe money or influential contacts are left out—even when they are highly qualified.

In January 2025, the Civil Service Commission announced the recruitment of 4,140 health workers, including 646 professional cholera volunteers. According to the Commission, the remaining 3,494 were selected through a competitive process.

This marked the third major recruitment under the UPND government, following the hiring of 11,276 health workers in 2022 and 3,250 in 2023.

MakanDay sought comment from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) regarding the allegations, but the Commission said it does not respond to individual journalists. However, Commission Secretary Derrick Wina said that a press briefing is scheduled for June, during which recruitment-related matters will be addressed.

In February, Health Minister Elijah Muchima announced that the Anti-Corruption Commission would launch an investigation into the recent health worker recruitment exercise following allegations of corruption.

ACC confirmed that the Commission had received a complaint of alleged corruption in the recruitment of health workers under the Ministry of Health from the Resident Doctors Association of Zambia.

ACC Head of Corporate Communications, Timothy Moono confirmed that investigations have commenced and are ongoing, but declined to provide further details, citing concerns that doing so could jeopardise the process.

In response to a query from MakanDay, the nurses’ union – the Zambia Union of Nurses and Midwives Organisation (ZUNMO) expressed concern that unfair recruitment practices in the health sector are undermining service delivery.

“You may wish to note that nurses and midwives who are neither students nor unemployed are not eligible for ZUNMO Membership. However, ZUNMO receives reports from members who are part of the recruitment process on progress made or lack thereof,” said union president Fray Michelo.

Michelo warned that appointing individuals who may lack the necessary competence to critical roles leads to inefficiencies, clinical errors, and compromised patient care.

He added that while the nurses’ union is involved in recruitment at various levels, it has received reports of corruption and irregularities, particularly at the district level. Some district committees, he said, conduct selection meetings without notifying or involving union representatives—raising further transparency concerns.

According to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the latest recruitment of over 4,100 health workers was overseen by district and provincial human resource management committees. The names of successful candidates were published in the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail on January 27, 2025.

While ZUNMO supports the decentralisation of the recruitment process—which is intended to promote inclusion and wider participation—Michelo urged the CSC and Ministry of Health to ensure that Human Resource Management Committees remain representative, transparent, and fully compliant with recruitment guidelines.

* Note that the real names of whistleblowers have been changed at their request to protect them from retaliation.