UPND councillor Bilumba jailed 18 months

UPND Kanyama ward 10 Councillor Brighton Bilumba has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour for theft involving K53, 600.

UPND Kanyama ward 10 Councillor Brighton Bilumba has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour for theft involving K53, 600.

In this case Bilumba stole the said amount that was supposed to be paid to 13 people engaged by the Lusaka City Council (LCC) to distribute bills for ground rates arrears on behalf of the Local Authority.

K53, 600

Bilumba, 39, between December 2017 and January 2018 in Lusaka, being employed by local Government as a civic leader stole K53, 600 cash.

Bilumba, 39, between December 2017 and January 2018 in Lusaka, being employed by local Government as a civic leader stole K53, 600 cash. When the matter came up for Judgment, Magistrate Felix Kaoma said the state had proved the case against the counsellor and that people in public office need to be held accountable for their actions. In mitigation Bilumba said he was a breadwinner of 5 children and looking after 8 orphans. He asked the court to consider that he was also taking care of his aged mother and constructing 2 mothers’ shelters in his ward. One of the witnesses in the matter, Leonard Chelo, testified that Bilumba inflated the number beneficiaries who were supposed to be paid by LCC for distributing bills for land rates arrears on behalf of the local authority.

Chelo said he submitted 13 names to Bilumba but later discovered that 22 ghost names where included among them the Bilumba’s wife and two other councillors.