ECZ SELECTS SUSPECT FIRMS
A TI-Z investigation reveals South Korean firm with tainted history lined up to handle Zambia’s 2026 poll voter registration
- Despite previous election failures and local whistleblower warnings, ECZ pushes Miru Systems and mystery firm Starlab to final stage.
By TI-Z Staffer
AN INVESTIGATION carried out by Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has revealed concerning developments surrounding the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ’s) ongoing procurement of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) technology – a process now dominated by a South Korean firm with a tainted global record, and another obscure bidder with no traceable track record.
At the centre of the unfolding scandal is Miru Systems Limited, a company previously implicated in flawed elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Philippines, and Starlab, a firm about which almost nothing is known. These two are now the only shortlisted companies in ECZ’s final stages of awarding a contract for Zambia’s 2026 voter registration exercise.
From compliance to cancellation: What went wrong with the original tender
According to the original tender (No. ECZ/IOB/002/2024) which was closed in November 2024, bidders were required to meet a specific set of eligibility and documentation requirements. The document stated clear mandatory requirements such as 2021–2023 audited financial statements, African electoral experience, and a partnership with a 100 per cent Zambian-owned firm for foreign bidders.
“The Bidder shall submit the following additional documents in its bid: Three years latest audited financial statements; Bidder should have done similar contract with an EMB (Electoral Management Body) in Africa in the last 7 years and at least Two (2) others; Proof of Sound financial position to undertake the assignment such as Letter of Credit; Certificate of incorporation or company registration certificate; Valid Tax Clearance Certificate or Equivalent; Name of the citizen bidder with proof of documentation on partnership together with Certificate of incorporation or company registration, Valid ZRA Tax Clearance certificate, Valid NAPSA compliance certificate, Updated PACRA Annual returns Computer Printout with names of Shareholders,” the document read.
Laxton Limited, a company with a verifiable footprint in African elections -including Ghana, Uganda, Mozambique and Zimbabwe – emerged as the best evaluated bidder in March 2025.
However, the award was revoked a month later by ECZ through a public notice circulated on April 29, 2025.
In the notice, ECZ stated that the decision was due to significant changes in the bidding conditions and contract terms.
“The Electoral Commission of Zambia [ECZ] wishes to notify stakeholders and the public that the ECZ Procurement Committee on Friday, 25th April 2025 cancelled the tender for the supply and delivery of Voter Registration Equipment and Software for the Commission. The cancellation of the aforementioned tender was due to significant changes in the bidding conditions and conditions of contract contained in the issued solicitation document. The cancellation is in line with the Public Procurement Act No. 8 of 2020 Section 69 (1) (a). The Commission has since commenced a fresh procurement process,” the letter read.
However, TI-Z found that the adjustments – an additional 275 kits to be delivered four weeks earlier than initially specified – fell well within the flexibility allowed under the original tender terms.
The real reason for the cancellation, TI-Z has established, was an appeal lodged by Smartmatic, a losing bidder that had failed to meet two of the tender’s most basic requirements.
Firstly, it did not submit 2023 audited accounts; secondly, it partnered with a local firm that was not fully Zambian-owned.
Despite these disqualifying factors, the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) upheld Smartmatic’s appeal, citing a claim that they were “misled” by ECZ’s clarification regarding partnerships.
Laxton’s subsequent appeal, which presented Smartmatic’s full disqualification details, was dismissed, with ZPPA saying it could not revisit its earlier ruling.
In a final effort to seek redress, Laxton pursued a court case, filing for judicial review.
However, based on guidance from senior ECZ officials, the company withdrew its litigation on June 19 in the hope that it would open the door to reconsideration.
To date, there has been no formal communication from ECZ following that withdrawal.
Whistleblowers speak out on internal ECZ cartel
Multiple whistleblowers have corroborated TI-Z’s findings, alleging that certain ECZ insiders manipulated the procurement process to favour particular bidders. One of the whistleblowers who engaged ECZ management during the initial phase revealed to TI-Z a cartel within ECZ hell-bent on controlling the process for their personal gain.
“During the initial stages of the tender, I personally approached the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Brown Kasaro, and disclosed what I believed to be the existence of a cartel within ECZ that was working to tilt the process in favour of Smartmatic,” the whistleblower revealed.
“I gave him detailed information, expecting action… but to this day, I’ve received no feedback, and I don’t know what he did with it, or whether or not he did anything at all,” the source said.
Gregory Chifire, executive director of the Southern Africa Network Against Corruption, told TI-Z he also reported the procurement irregularities to the Anti-Corruption Commission after realising that senior officials within ECZ could have deliberately chosen not to act on the allegations surrounding the tender process.
“I received reports of malpractice within ECZ and, concerned that this could be a case of corruption, I reported the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission,” Chifire said.
“I later learned that another concerned citizen had already lodged a complaint. What troubles me is that ECZ senior executives, who I believe were aware of these allegations, chose not to act. It raises serious suspicion, especially given how events have unfolded since. This kind of deliberate inaction or incompetence by a few individuals risks damaging public trust and unfairly tarnishing the image of the government.”
Another whistleblower recounted how they took the matter to the acting director at ZPPA after discovering that a company which should have been disqualified in the preliminary evaluation had filed an appeal.
“After learning that a company which should have been disqualified at the preliminary stage had filed an appeal, I took the issue to the acting director at the Zambia Public Procurement Authority [ZPPA],” the whistleblower stated. “To my surprise, ZPPA didn’t just uphold the appeal… they went further and cancelled the entire tender instead of directing ECZ to simply re-evaluate the process. That decision effectively gave the disqualified company a second chance. It raised serious concerns for me about whether the process was truly fair or was already compromised.”
TI-Z wrote a letter to ZPPA on July 17, 2025 seeking answers to questions regarding these irregularities but has received no response till date.
Following the collapse of the first tender, ECZ floated a new restricted bidding process in April 2025.
Although Laxton was invited, the Commission refused their request for an extension to submit a new bid, citing tight deadlines.
Despite having withdrawn their legal case in the High Court as advised, Laxton was excluded from the shortlist.
Instead, Miru Systems and the virtually unknown company in election procurement, Starlab, were advanced to due diligence ̶̶ the current and final stage of the tender process before the award notification.
Sources close to the procurement process have told TI-Z that ECZ initially tried to single-source Miru, allegedly, but faced internal pushback. This has raised concerns that the limited bidding process may have simply been used as a backdoor method to arrive at the same outcome.
A third whistleblower from within ECZ likened the corruption allegations of this voter registration tender process to that of the ballot paper.
“There are bad eggs within the Commission who have no regard for institutional integrity,” alleged the whistleblower.
“What we’re seeing now is not new. It is similar to the ballot paper tender process, which was cancelled three times under suspicious circumstances.
In my view, those cancellations were not due to technical issues or compliance gaps, but were deliberate attempts to push the contract towards a preferred supplier. It’s a pattern of manipulation, and it brings into question the fairness and credibility of ECZ’s procurement decisions.”
Miru’s global failures: A warning ignored
TI-Z’s research reveals Miru Systems’ involvement in several problematic elections.
In 2018, Miru supplied BVR kits to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reports from France24 and The Guardian indicate that the equipment was delivered six months late.
Nearly 45 per cent of the machines reportedly malfunctioned.
Following the controversy, the South Korean government publicly distanced itself from the company.
In 2024, Democracy Watch Philippines and The Philippine Star raised the alarm after mock elections using Miru’s technology encountered “fatal flaws”. Watchdogs rejected Miru’s explanations, pointing to unresolved security and reliability issues.
“It is actually shocking that ECZ would even consider such a vendor, given the extensive documentation of failure elsewhere,” a senior electoral advisor consulted by TI-Z said.
Who is Starlab? No one seems to know
The second company under due diligence, Starlab, remains a mystery.
TI-Z investigations found no online presence, no electoral history, and no public record of involvement in election technology.
“There’s nothing… No website, no project history, not even a media mention,” one procurement expert told TI-Z.
“If ECZ awards them a national contract, the public deserves to know who they are and why they qualified.”
Mounting risks to Zambia’s electoral process
TI-Z warns that the risks of awarding such a sensitive contract to unproven or scandal-ridden companies are enormous.
These include voter disenfranchisement from faulty registration kits, which could prevent eligible citizens from being added to the voter roll.
There is also the risk of data integrity breaches, placing millions of personal records at stake.
Further, a poorly managed voter registration process could erode public confidence in ECZ, potentially triggering voter apathy, unrest and legal disputes.
On the international front, Zambia may face reputational damage ahead of the 2026 elections, possibly affecting donor support and foreign relations.
Indeed, without accurate, credible, and secure registration, the rest of the process – voting, counting, announcing results – becomes vulnerable to manipulation, litigation, and dispute.
In countries across Africa, election-related violence, instability, and public distrust have often stemmed from poor voter registration exercises.
Technical failures, ghost voters, duplication or disenfranchisement all begin with who gets registered, and how.
In Zambia’s case, these concerns are amplified by the ticking clock.
The country’s electoral calendar is already under pressure, and any delays in procurement or deployment of equipment risk pushing voter registration dangerously close to campaign periods.
Development partners and donor agencies that support electoral processes, both financially and logistically, have also expressed concern over irregularities in procurement.
Their continued support is contingent on transparency and integrity in the process.
TI-Z calls for transparency, accountability and oversight
TI-Z warns that the actions of a few individuals within ECZ and ZPPA now threaten to undermine not only public confidence in the Commission, but the very credibility of Zambia’s democracy.
Worse still, they risk undoing the progress made by the current administration in promoting transparency and good governance.
A source from the government said, “This does not reflect the values of public service. But if not addressed, it will definitely reflect on the institutions involved and the current administration negatively.”
TI-Z is now calling for the immediate suspension of the current due diligence process. The organisation urges ECZ to publish full bidder profiles, explain why qualified firms were excluded, and open the process to independent scrutiny.
Conclusion: A crisis manufactured
What began as a standard procurement process has devolved into a procedural crisis, marked by backdoor deals, ignored red flags and a growing trail of questions ECZ refuses to answer.
In a letter dated July 17, TI-Z reached out to ECZ seeking clarity on anomalies in the voter registration tender.
However, ECZ dismissed the inquiry, stating it was “taken aback” by TI-Z’s letter, as it implied that TI-Z held supervisory authority over the Commission. ECZ emphasised its constitutional autonomy and declined to engage further, citing a pending arbitration process.
Transparency International Zambia remains committed to exposing corruption risks and promoting clean, credible electoral processes.
The integrity of the 2026 general elections depends on what ECZ, ZPPA and oversight institutions do – or fail to do – next.
This investigation was independently conducted by Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z). All queries related to the investigation should be directed to TI-Z
