A former Zambian minister, Mutotwe Kafwaya, was killed during a security raid on a house linked to opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile a day after the country’s presidential election, authorities have said.
Kafwaya, 49, was fatally wounded in what police described as an exchange of fire during the operation in the capital, Lusaka, with 11 people arrested as authorities accused Mundubile’s NRPUP party of involvement in insurgency and militia activities and of storing “high-grade” weapons. Mundubile, who has since gone into hiding, rejected the allegations as “total fabrications”.
According to official results, incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema won a second five-year term with 60% of the vote, while Mundubile came second with 38%.
The opposition leader has said he will challenge the result in court, alleging that the tallying process was tampered with.
Speaking about Kafwaya, Mundubile said he had received no information about the former minister’s whereabouts after he was shot during the raid, which the opposition leader said took place at his house.
Police said Kafwaya was killed in a shootout involving a joint security task force, which encountered “gunfire and resistance from unknown individuals” and returned fire.
“In the process, one unidentified male person was fatally wounded, and the firearm was recovered,” police said, adding that family members later identified the deceased as Kafwaya.
Kafwaya first became a lawmaker in 2016. He was appointed by then-President Edgar Lungu as minister of works in 2018 before being moved to the transport ministry the following year. He served in the position until 2021, when Lungu lost the presidential election to Hichilema. Kafwaya subsequently continued serving as an opposition member of parliament.
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Regional and international observers described election day as largely peaceful but raised concerns about electoral reforms, media freedom and opposition access to the media during the campaign.
The European Union, EU, election observation mission warned at the weekend that restrictions on the opposition during the campaign may have contributed to an “uneven contest”.
In its report, the mission said the results tabulation process “deteriorated significantly” after counting resumed following a six-hour pause.
The electoral commission had suspended the count, citing violence against its staff and alleging that ballot boxes had been stolen.
The EU mission said staff at many centres failed to record results on tally sheets immediately after they were announced and cited weak verification between digital entries and paper records.
It also said returning officers frequently suspended proceedings while waiting for instructions from electoral headquarters.
The observers described the heavy military presence at some locations as intimidating and said they had received reports of attacks on several tallying centres.
The mission called for “maximal transparency” over the election outcome, noting that the electoral commission had not published separate results from individual polling stations.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Zambia has called for accountability over people whose whereabouts remain unknown following arrests and security operations linked to the elections.
The commission urged authorities to bring anyone held beyond the legally permitted period before a court or release them. It also called for independent investigations into allegations of unlawful detention and enforced disappearances.
BBC
