A former Zambian minister was killed in last week’s raid by security forces on a house linked to opposition leader Brian Mundubile a day after the presidential election, authorities say.
A police spokesman confirmed that Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally wounded during an exchange of fire in Lusaka on Friday, a joint security task force said.
Eleven people were arrested in the raid, and government officials accused Mundubile’s party, the NRPUP, of “involved in insurgency” and “militia activity” and of storing “high‑grade” weapons. The opposition leader denied these allegations as “total fabrications” and has since gone into hiding.
The election result, announced a day earlier, gave incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema a 60% share of the vote, while Mundubile trailed at 38%. He intends to challenge the outcome in court, claiming the tallying process was tampered with.
Mundubile’s spokesperson said he had received no information about Kafwaya’s whereabouts after he was shot and that the raid took place at his residence. The police later confirmed Kafwaya’s death, stating that he was killed during a shootout, with “gunfire and resistance from unknown individuals” leading to armed counter‑fire by the task force. An unidentified male was retrieved with a firearm, and family members identified the victim as the former minister.
Kafwaya entered Parliament in 2016 and served as Minister for Works (2018) before being appointed Minister of Transport in 2019; he remained in Parliament as an opposition MP following the 2021 presidential election.
Regional and international observers described the day of the poll as largely peaceful but flagged concerns about late electoral reforms. The EU observation mission warned that restrictions on the opposition during the campaigning period may have led to an “uneven contest”. In its report, the mission found that the vote tabulation deteriorated when counting resumed after a six‑hour pause, citing violence against staff and alleged ballot‑box theft. The commission stopped the count citing staff safety and lack of verification between digital entry and paper records. The mission also noted a heavy military presence that was intimidating and reported attacks on some tallying centres.
The EU mission called for “maximal transparency” over the poll outcome, noting that the electoral commission did not publish separate polling‑station results. Meanwhile, Zambia’s Human Rights Commission urged accountability for people whose whereabouts remain unclear after arrests, demanding that those held beyond legal periods be taken to court or released, and that any unlawful detentions or disappearances be investigated independently.
