Former Zambian Minister Killed In Security Raid On Opposition Leader’s Home After Election | Sahara Reporters

Police spokesman said a joint security task force raided the property and encountered “gunfire and resistance from unknown individuals, resulting in [them] returning fire.”

A former Zambian minister, Mutotwe Kafwaya, was killed during a security raid on a house linked to opposition leader Brian Mundubile, authorities have confirmed.

Kafwaya, 49, was fatally wounded by security forces during what police described as an exchange of fire in Lusaka on Friday, a day after the country’s presidential election, according to the BBC.

Police spokesman said a joint security task force raided the property and encountered “gunfire and resistance from unknown individuals, resulting in [them] returning fire.”

“In the process one unidentified male person was fatally wounded, and the firearm was recovered,” police said in a statement, adding that Kafwaya was later identified by his family.

Eleven people were arrested during the operation, with authorities accusing Mundubile’s NRPUP party of being involved in “insurgency” and “militia activity” and of storing “high-grade” weapons.

Mundubile, who has since gone into hiding, rejected the allegations as “total fabrications.”

Speaking on Tuesday, Mundubile said he had received no information about Kafwaya’s whereabouts after he was shot during the raid, which he said took place at his house.

Police confirmed Kafwaya’s death on Wednesday, amid growing demands for information about his whereabouts.

Kafwaya became a lawmaker in 2016 and was appointed by then-President Edgar Lungu as minister for works in 2018. He was moved to the transport ministry the following year and served there until 2021, when Lungu lost the presidential election to incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema.

According to official results, Hichilema won a second five-year term with 60 per cent of the vote, while Mundubile came second with 38 per cent.

Mundubile has said he plans to challenge the election result in court, alleging that the tallying process was tampered with.

Regional and international observers described election day as largely peaceful but raised concerns about late electoral reforms, media freedom and access to the media during the campaign.

The European Union election observation mission warned that restrictions on the opposition during the campaign period may have contributed to an “uneven contest.”

In a report released on Wednesday, the observers said the results tabulation process “deteriorated significantly” after counting resumed following a six-hour pause.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia had halted the count, citing violence against its staff and allegations of ballot-box theft.

The EU mission said staff at many centres failed to record results on tally sheets immediately after they were announced and noted weak verification between digital entries and paper records.

It also said returning officers frequently suspended proceedings while waiting for instructions from the commission’s headquarters.

The observers described the heavy military presence during the process as intimidating and said they had received reports of attacks on some tallying centres.

The mission called for “maximal transparency” in the handling of the election result, noting that the electoral commission had not published separate polling-station results.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission in Zambia has called for accountability over people whose whereabouts remain unknown following arrests and security operations linked to the elections.

It called for anyone held beyond the legal period to be taken to court or released, while urging independent investigations into alleged unlawful detentions and disappearances.