Cite UPND media team for contempt, Mukata asks court

UPND Chilanga Member of Parliament Keith Mukata has asked the Lusaka High court to summon the UPND media team over alleged online malicious publication against him in the matter in which Mukata and co-accused Charmaine Musonda are facing one count of murdering a security guard.

Mukata and Musonda are accused of murdering Namakabwa Kalilkwenda, a security guard who had been on duty at AKM Legal Practitioners, the law firm belonging to Mr Mukata on May 6, 2017.

It was alleged that the guard was shot dead at the law firm premises in Rhodespark on Alex Masala Road.

Before High Judge Susan Wanjelani, Mukata complained through his defence lawyer, Mr Milner Katolo, that he had observed an article dated November 30, 2017 signed by the UPND media team in an online publication, the Zambian Observer bearing a screamer headline “We killed my guard together with Kampyongo.”

He said a similar article headlined “We killed my company guard together with Kampyongo, testified Mukata” appeared in online publications Zambia. Direct. News and Zambezi post also on November 30, 2017.

Mukata said his evidence was clear and at no point did he testify by way of admission that he killed his guard together with Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo.

He told the court that such reporting was intended to label him as a murderer in the public eye and also cast Kampyongo as an accomplice to the murder.

“My evidence is very clear before you that at no time did I testify by way of admission that I killed my guard together with Honourable Kampyongo.

“This kind of reporting is pre-judicial to me, it is meant to make me look like a murderer in the public eye and Kampyongo as an accomplice to the murder. This first article is signed as having been published by the UPND media,” he said.

Mukata told the court that by reason of those publications, the authors were undermining the authority of the court by adding their own evidence in the matter.

He however asked the court to issue a warrant to the UPND media team to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be issued against them for misrepresenting proceedings and for undermining the authority of the court.

But Judge Wanjelani said she would make her ruling today as regards to those publications.