I heard Mukata shouting that his guard had been shot - witness

By CHINTU MALAMBO AFTER hearing three gunshots, I saw Mr Keith Mukata running from his premises and calling for help saying his guard had been shot, the security guard of Pre-Secure Security Company told a court.

This is in a matter in which United Party for National Development (UPND) Chilanga Member of Parliament Keith Mukata and his lover Charmaine Musonda are facing charges of murdering Mr Namakabwa Kalila Kwenda, a security guard at AKM Legal Practitioners, a law firm belonging to Mr Mukata.

It was alleged that Mr Kwenda, who was an employee of Men in Black Security Company was shot dead in the incident that happened on 6th May 2017.

When the matter came up for commencement of trial before High Court judge Susan Wanjelani, Collins Chola Kabanda, testified that on the material day, he was on duty at a company called Altitude Advertising which is next to AKM Legal Practitioners and that while on duty, he had been chatting outside with his friend Mr Kwenda, whom he had known as Mushabati.

Evidence before court was that on the very day, he and Kwenda saw Musonda arrive at AKM around 19:00 hours and she got inside the gate and after a few minutes, Mr Mukata then went to greet the two guards outside and he went back inside.

Kabanda told the court that around 23:30 hours, he and Kwenda decided to go into their respective fences.

It was his testimony that at around 00:30 hours, he heard three gunshots coming from Mr Mukata’s yard and quickly rushed to peep through the guardroom window to see what was happening.

He said that he saw Mr Mukata running towards the next yard, calling for help because his security guard had been shot. Mr Kabanda told the court that he did not see who fired the gun but that he heard footsteps of someone running away from the scene outside the gate.

Kabanda testified that he then went to check what had happened but could not be allowed in because someone had already called the police and when the police arrived, he was able to go in and identified the person who had been shot as his friend Mushabati (Kwenda).

Trial continues today.