Francis Kapyanga, the NRPUP Member of Parliament for Mpika North, has demanded an investigation into the disappearance of 5,568 confiscated Mukula logs recorded in the Auditor-General's 2025 report. Speaking in an interview on Monday 26 October reported by News Diggers, he described the report as a crime scene and said it was unacceptable for valuable natural resources to go missing without anyone being held responsible. The logs, he said, could have raised revenue for the government if they had been properly disposed of.
The finding comes from a review of records at the Mpika District Forestry Office. According to the Zambian Observer's account of the report, published on 20 October and credited to Diamond TV, a status report from the office showed 5,595 Mukula logs confiscated between 2021 and 2025. A physical inspection in May 2026 found 27. The remaining 5,568 were unaccounted for, and their value could not be determined. The facilities fall under the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment. The report, as summarised by the Zambian Observer, carries no response from the ministry.
One finding among many
Zambia Monitor's summary of the report, published on 19 October, lists the Mukula finding alongside others: K3.56 billion in outstanding obligations in the health sector, some dating back to 2014; K626.64 million in uncollected penalties from mining licence holders and K30.48 million in outstanding annual area charges; US$433,820 collected for the Department of Immigration but not remitted to the Treasury; customs duties of K41.97 million and temporary imports worth K9.03 million that the Zambia Revenue Authority could not account for; 74,840 properties on which ground rent could not be assessed because of incomplete land records; irregularities of more than K72 million under the Farmer Input Support Programme; and 125 Ministry of Education officers paid K1.23 million in salaries who could not be accounted for.
The Acting Auditor-General, Patricia Malaila, is quoted by Zambia Monitor as saying that "the continued growth of these obligations places considerable pressure on public finances", and by the Zambian Observer as urging controlling officers to strengthen internal controls and ensure public resources are properly managed. Zambia Monitor reports her as saying the number of unresolved audit findings fell to 27 in 2025 from 33 in 2024.
Lusaka Brief has reported two of those findings this week: the deceased health workers kept on the payroll, on Monday, and the FISP irregularities, on Tuesday. Kapyanga's demand comes from the opposition benches in the province where the logs were seized, and it asks a question the report itself leaves open: not only where the logs went, but who was responsible for them between confiscation and the May inspection.
Confirmed vs. alleged
Confirmed: The Auditor-General's 2025 report records 5,595 Mukula logs confiscated at the Mpika District Forestry Office between 2021 and 2025, of which 27 were found in a May 2026 inspection (Zambian Observer, citing Diamond TV; Zambia Monitor). Kapyanga called for an investigation on Monday (News Diggers).
Alleged or unverified: What happened to the 5,568 logs, their value, and whether any officer is under investigation. No ministry response has been reported.
Sources: News Diggers, “Govt must account for over 5,000 missing Mukula logs – Mpika MP” (27 Oct 2026); The Zambian Observer, “5,568 Mukula logs missing, 2025 Auditor General's report reveals” (20 Oct 2026); Zambia Monitor, “Auditor General flags K3.56bn debts in health sector, missing Mukula logs, other financial management gaps” (19 Oct 2026).