Police Training Officer, One Civilian Staff Under Investigation Over Alleged Recruitment Irregularities

By MakanDay Reporter

A Zambia Police Service training officer and one civilian employee are under investigation over alleged irregularities linked to the Police Service’s recent internal recruitment exercise, MakanDay has established.

The investigations come amid growing public scrutiny of the internal staffing exercise conducted earlier this year, which attracted criticism from some members of the public who questioned the transparency of the recruitment process.

Information obtained by MakanDay indicates that Pius Chanda, a Training Officer at Liyali Police Training School, and Anna Zimba, a civilian employee, were detained in early July before being released pending further investigations.

According to sources familiar with the investigations, Chanda was detained at Woodlands Police Station while Zimba was held at Kabwata Police Station. Both were released on 2 July 2026 as investigations continued.

According to a source familiar with the investigations, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, investigators are examining allegations that Chanda received more than K1 million from several individuals after allegedly promising to facilitate their recruitment into the Zambia Police Service.

The source alleged that a number of those individuals are now demanding refunds after the promised recruitment reportedly failed to materialise.

MakanDay independently verified the allegations, but there is no indication that Chanda or the other individual under investigation have been formally charged. Efforts to conclude the investigations are continuing, according to the police.

Contacted for comment, Zambia Police Service Public Relations Officer Godfrey Chilabi confirmed that investigations into the officers’ professional conduct were underway but declined to discuss the specific allegations.

“An investigation into the officers’ professional conduct is currently underway. Once the investigation and all related processes have been concluded, we will provide you with an update and full details of the matter,” Chilabi said.

MakanDay’s efforts to obtain comment from Chanda and Zimba were unsuccessful. Sources declined to provide their personal contact details, while Chilabi said it would be inappropriate to disclose their private phone numbers unless they had been officially designated by the Zambia Police Service for media engagement.

The investigations follow public criticism of the Police Service’s internal staffing exercise announced in April, after questions were raised over how candidates had been selected.

In a statement issued on 11 April 2026, the Zambia Police Service said the exercise was undertaken to fill vacancies created by retirements, resignations and other forms of attrition after obtaining the necessary authority from relevant government institutions.

The Service explained that the vacancies were primarily advertised internally to qualified civilian employees to enable them to transition into the regular police establishment. It added that some positions were also offered to candidates who had remained on the waiting list from the 2023 recruitment exercise, as well as applicants possessing specialised technical and trade skills required by the Service.

According to the Police Service, the internal staffing exercise was separate from the regular national recruitment process and was intended to strengthen manpower ahead of forthcoming national assignments.

The police also maintained that internal recruitment and staff placement exercises are standard practice across public institutions and reiterated its commitment to fairness, transparency and integrity in all recruitment processes.

The ongoing investigations are expected to determine whether any officers or employees breached recruitment procedures or engaged in professional misconduct during the staffing exercise. However, it remains unclear whether the outcome of the investigations could affect individuals who were recruited through the process currently under scrutiny.

The case has renewed public attention on recruitment processes within Zambia’s security services, where transparency and accountability remain matters of significant public interest. Police say further information will be made available once investigations and any related disciplinary procedures have been concluded.

Editor’s Note: The image accompanying this story is AI-generated and is used for illustrative purposes only.