Kabwe | October 31 2025 – The Kabwe Subordinate Court concluded a case against five individuals, one of whom is former-Lusaka Province Minister Mr. Bowman Chilosha Lusambo testing the boundaries between political stature and legal accountability.

The five were charged with the offence of Unlawful Assembly, contrary to Section 74(1) as read with Section 75 of the Penal Act, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

The court delivered its judgment on October 29 2025, convicting Bowman Lusambo, Billy Sichamba, Saidi Chibwana, and Martin Simfukwe. Mathews Changwe was acquitted.
The case, prosecuted by Senior Public Prosecutor Ms. Elizabeth Sikute of the National Prosecution Authority Kabwe Office, stemmed from an incident on November 2 2023 at Brimas in Kabwe Town Centre.

The prosecution presented evidence from seven witnesses, establishing that the convicted individuals jointly assembled and conducted themselves in a manner that caused persons in the neighborhood reasonable fear of a breach of peace. The defence, which called five witnesses, had argued the gathering was a spontaneous reaction to Lusambo’s presence, not a premeditated assembly.

Following the full trial, the four convicted persons were each sentenced to eight months imprisonment with hard labour, suspended for twelve months. This suspended sentence permits the convicts to remain at liberty in the community, contingent upon them not being convicted of any further criminal offence during the suspension period. A breach of this condition will trigger the immediate activation of the eight-month prison term, to be served in addition to any new penalty received for the subsequent crime.

It is important to note that this conditional liberty does not apply to former Minister Bowman Lusambo, who remains in custody at Mwembeshi Correctional Facility serving a separate, unrelated sentence.

The National Prosecution Authority continues to execute its mandate to prosecute criminal cases in Zambia, upholding the provisions of the Penal Act and contributing to the maintenance of public order and safety.