Chilekwa charged with murder

Former President EDGAR LUNGU’s barber, Shebby Chilekwa, has been charged with murder jointly with other unknown persons.

Chilekwa  yesterday  appeared in the Kaoma Magistrate Court for the explanation of the charge.

This is in relation to an incident that happened in 2019 in Kaoma during a by-election where the PF and UPND clashed resulting in a gun fire which claimed Mr Lawrence Banda’s life.

According to eye witnesses, the UPND cadres around midday in Site and Service Compound stopped near the PF camp which also had the likes of Ms Mumbi Phiri and Kalulushi MP, Kampamba Mulenga and one of the UPND cadre produced a pistol and fired indiscriminately in the process hitting two people. It was at the same event that a member from the rival camp allegedly fired and hit Mr Banda.

Meanwhile Kaoma Magistrate Besting Hamaseke informed the accused that he had been charged with murder while acting together with unknown persons on October 6, 2019 in Kaoma.

Meanwhile, Lusaka High Court judge Mwape Bowa, is today set to hear Chilekwa’s application for habeas corpus and the State’s application to review a court order to have him access medical attention at University teaching Hospital (UTH) in the presence of his lawyers.

The State in its application stated that the order granted last Friday was overtaken by events and it was unnecessary and costly to bring Chilekwa from Kaoma to Lusaka when he was being attended to in a government medical facility with the same amenities as UTH.

Magistrate Hamaseke said the charge is according to Section 200 of the Penal Code chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

The magistrate told Chilekwa that he was appearing for explanation of the charge slapped on him while awaiting further instructions from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The matter has since been adjourned to February 28, 2022 for mention and the accused remains in custody. 

Chilekwa was picked up on February 4 from former president Edgar Lungu’s aide de camp, Chisanga Chanda who was also detained and eventually arrested and charged for concealing a wanted person.

Chilekwa’s lawyers, Makebi Zulu Advocates have been through a merry go-round with police in trying to access their client.

After failing to access their client, the lawyers applied for habeas corpus on Chilekwa’s behalf,  compelling the state to take him court after they had failed to charge him.

While this was going on, the lawyers made a damning revelation that their client had been tortured at some unknown location in Lusaka’s Kalundu area.

According to the lawyers, Chilekwa was passing blood stained urine while his back was streaked with whip marks. The lawyers then applied for a court order compelling police to avail Chilekwa for medical treatment at the University Teaching Hospital.

However, while this was going on, a video surfaced of police bundling Chilekwa into a vehicle enroute to Kaoma, the scene of the alleged 2019 murder of Lawrence Banda.

When high court judge Mwape Bowa finally ordered that Chilekwa be admitted to the UTH for treatment in the presence of his lawyers, the accused was already in Kaoma.

While the lawyers were contemplating contempt proceedings against the state for ignoring court orders, the state made an application seeking a review of the same orders. The state is contending that the court order may not be relevant as Chilekwa had been taken to another hospital in Kaoma.

Yesterday, Chilekwa was formally arrested and charged with murder and appeared in court for explanation of the charge only.