There are many definitions of corruption.

The World Bank defines corruption as the “abuse of

public office for private gain” while Transparency International (TI) views corruption as “the
abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” Nye (1967) suggests corruption is “behavior which
deviates from the formal duties of a public role because of private-regarding (personal, close
family, private clique) pecuniary or status gains; or violates rules against the exercise of certain
types of private regarding influence.” With these definitions of corruption, the essay will discuss
how the concept of corruption has been trying the effectiveness of law in zambia.

It is widely known that corruption is a major challenge to the development of most countries and
Zambia is no exception. Transparency International in its National Integrity Assessments reports
describes the problem of corruption in Zambia as endemic. The Auditor General’s annual
reports reveal widespread corruption and misuse of Government resources by civil servants.
Corruption as the UNDP Report, Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives1 (2008) underscores
that corruption undermines democratic institutions, retards economic development and
contributes to government instability. It attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by
distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and making bureaucratic quagmires
whose only reason for existence is the soliciting of bribes. Economic development is stunted
because outside direct investment is discouraged and small businesses within the country often
find it impossible to overcome the “startup costs” required because of corruption. In
procurement and construction the people end up getting inferior quality goods as corruption
advantages bribe givers at the expense of quality. Tragically, as former United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan observed: “corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by
diverting resources intended for development, undermining a government’s ability to provide
basic services, feeding inequality and injustice, and discouraging foreign investment and aid.