NAC on auto-pilot for 5months, and counting

The National Aids Commission (NAC) has been operating without a board for five months, raising concerns about oversight and leadership of the country’s HIV and Aids response programme. Government dissolved boards of parastatal organisations and State-owned enterprises on October 7 2025, shortly after the change of leadership at Plot Number One. While many of these boards have since been reconstituted, NAC is yet to have a new board.

NAC was re-established in October 2018 as an independent State institution under the HIV and Aids (Prevention and Management) Act No. 9 of 2018. A public health specialist and a governance expert have criticised the delay in appointing commissioners, noting that the board is central to ensuring strategic direction, financial accountability and institutional integrity at the commission.

Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dan Namarika said the board would be constituted soon, but did not give a specific timeline. He said the process has taken time because commissioners are recruited through an application process rather than direct appointment. “The process requires careful consideration, and we expect the board to be constituted soon,” he said.

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Public health expert Adamson Muula acknowledged that the application-based recruitment process can take time, but said it should have been handled with greater urgency. “Currently, the Minister of Health and the Secretary are effectively sitting as the de facto board, which is problematic because they already have many other responsibilities,” he said. Muula said the arrangement limits the level of oversight and input the two officials can provide, potentially affecting the commission’s effectiveness.

Weighing in on the matter, Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency executive director Willy Kambwandira also expressed concern over the delay. He said a board serves as the primary oversight body responsible for strategic direction, financial accountability and institutional integrity. “Operating for months without a duly constituted board weakens checks and balances, potentially exposes the institution to governance gaps and undermines transparency in decision-making,” he said. Kambwandira added that while management may continue routine operations, the absence of commissioners means critical functions such as approval of key policies, budgets and accountability frameworks may not receive the level of scrutiny expected in a public institution.

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