Keith Mukata, 245 others death sentences commuted to life imprisonment

LAWYER and former Chilanga UPND Member of Parliament, Keith Mukata is among the notable names on the list of those commuted from death to life imprisonment by President Edgar Lungu yesterday.

President Lungu commuted 246 inmates from death to life imprisonment, Home Affairs, Stephen Kampyongo announced in a statement.

A check on the list, found that Mr Mukata was among those given amnesty.

Mr Mukaka was in February 2018, sentenced by the Lusaka High Court to death by hanging for murdering a security guard. And Mr Kampyongo said Government was committed to providing humane custodial services, medical care, basic sanitary facilities, adequate food and recreational facilities for inmates held under death sentences.

He said the 246 commuted inmates were all based at Mukobeko Maximum Security and Kabwe Female Correctional Centres respectively.

The minister said out of the 246 commuted inmates, 225 were males while 21 were females.

"President Edgar Lungu and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces has exercise his prerogative of mercy by committing sentences from death to life imprisonment of 246 inmates," Mr Kampyongo said.

He said the clemency of death to life sentences under President Lungu has accumulated to about 630 during his eight years of reign.

"This is an unprecedented human rights record which cannot go unnoticed," Mr Kampyongo said.

Mr Kampyongo said the commutation of the 246 inmates would greatly help decongest the condemned section of the Maximum Security Correctional centre and increase social distance among the inmates.

He said to embrace the paradigm shift since 1997, Zambia has not carried any execution of condemned inmates which can be called as a silent moratorium.

Mr Kampyongo explained that Zambia has still maintained the death penalty in the statues, but has adopted a moratorium on the death penalty.