🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Govt, Church Clash Over Calls for Accused Clergy to Step Aside
The government and the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) have differed publicly over whether religious leaders facing serious criminal allegations should temporarily relinquish their duties, bringing the question of church autonomy and legal accountability into focus.
In a statement issued on Monday, October 12, 2026, Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana urged clergy facing serious legal or ethical allegations to consider stepping aside while investigations or judicial proceedings continue.
“A case concerning an individual cleric is exactly that: a matter concerning an individual, not an attack on a denomination, a faith community or the Church as an institution,” Kawana said.
He argued that temporary withdrawal from religious duties could protect institutional integrity and public confidence without prejudging the outcome of criminal proceedings.
“This is not a new or unusual principle,” Kawana said, referring to practices adopted by religious institutions elsewhere when clergy face investigations.
However, CCZ General Secretary Father James Phiri has rejected government involvement in decisions concerning the administration of churches.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Phiri maintained that religious institutions have established structures governing their operations and that government should not dictate how they handle clergy facing allegations, according to News Diggers.
The exchange follows the September 28 arrest of Lusaka Archbishop Alick Banda by the Drug Enforcement Commission over allegations involving a Toyota Hilux suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority.
Although Kawana did not mention Banda by name, his statement comes amid public debate over the archbishop’s continued religious duties while his criminal case proceeds.
The disagreement centres on whether calls for temporary withdrawal from religious office constitute a legitimate appeal for institutional accountability or an intrusion into the Church’s authority to manage its internal affairs.
-The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu
October 14, 2026