Ronald Chitotela Sentenced to 10 Years for Arson
Pambashe Member of Parliament Ronald Chitotela has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labor for arson by the Kabwe High Court. High Court Resident Judge Irene Mbewe upheld the conviction by the Kawambwa Magistrates Court, stating that it was firmly grounded in law. Chitotela’s co-accused, Davies Kaniki and Kunda Chitotela, also received similar sentences.
The charges against Mr. Chitotela and his accomplices stemmed from an incident during the 2021 general election campaigns, where a Mahindra vehicle belonging to the UPND Luapula Province Youth Committee was set ablaze. In July 2024, the Kawambwa Magistrates Court, under Magistrate Martin Namushi, found the accused guilty of arson. However, sentencing was deferred due to the Magistrates Court’s lack of jurisdiction to impose the mandatory minimum 10-year sentence prescribed by law.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Kabwe High Court for sentencing. Defense lawyers for Mr. Chitotela filed a preliminary application seeking to vary the conviction, but Judge Mbewe dismissed the application, describing it as lacking merit and tantamount to forum shopping.
The Kabwe High Court’s ruling marks the culmination of legal proceedings aimed at addressing electoral violence during Zambia’s 2021 general elections. The case has drawn significant public attention as part of a broader effort to uphold the rule of law and deter electoral misconduct.
The origins of the case trace back to the heated campaigns leading up to the 2021 general elections. Ronald Chitotela and his accomplices were accused of burning a Mahindra vehicle belonging to the UPND Luapula Province Youth Committee. The act, classified as arson, was reportedly fueled by political tensions during the campaigns. The conviction by the Kawambwa Magistrates Court in July 2024 underscored the judiciary’s stance against electoral violence and political intimidation.
This case is not isolated. In another related incident, Kawambwa Member of Parliament Nickson Chilangwa was sentenced to five years imprisonment for malicious damage to property, with additional sentences for threatening violence and assault. The judiciary’s decisions in these cases highlight its commitment to addressing political violence and ensuring accountability among political leaders.
The sentencing of high-profile figures like Ronald Chitotela underscores the Zambian judiciary’s dedication to maintaining law and order during electoral periods. The judgment sends a strong message that political violence will not be tolerated and serves as a deterrent to future offenders.
Public reactions to the case have been mixed, with some lauding the judiciary’s firm stance while others debate the broader implications for political dynamics in Zambia. The case also raises questions about the conduct of political leaders and the measures needed to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The imprisonment of Ronald Chitotela and his co-convicts marks a significant chapter in Zambia’s efforts to combat electoral violence and uphold democratic values. As the legal process continues, with potential appeals and ongoing public discourse, the case remains a focal point in discussions about political accountability, electoral integrity, and the rule of law in Zambia.
As long as you are a politician from the North you will be convicted
Show us any other MPs who were violent cader criminals…….theives on top of that.
FWD2031
Why are judges committing crimes against humanity? What do they gain by locking up citizens in dirty prisons like in Syria? Zambia shouldn’t have any prisoners.
tribalist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is criteria, remember only Northerners and Easterners were in position to control government resources.
Haunting them now. He said; we shall get back what they have stolen. Rule of Law.
This is the more reason why you are seeing only Northerners and Easterners. This is a fact: pick any government departments/ministries see who are on top controlling…beka beka chabe baku maba and north.
Former SG BM said….If we don’t campaign hard we shall all go to prison.” He saw how reckless and extravagant they were. Kulya mwibala alya mwibala.
Haunting them to day.
The longer the prison sentence, the stronger the supporting evidence ought to be. Thus is what anyone who’s concerned about justice ought to care about. Ten years is a long period in prison. The court I would like to believe took into account the position of Ronald Chitotela and Nickson Chilangwa. These are former cabinet ministers who should have been concerned about keeping the peace.They were popular in Kawambwa and therefore had influence among the electorate.
…….
Lungu was encouraging them………
The blood of KUNGO is calling ………….and crying for help!
……..
Just watch and compare the upcoming 2026 elections……….
You will never see of hear of MPs, DCs, PSs acting like uncontrollable drunk warlords…..
Harassing, looting, and brutalising people who differ politically………or…..
Caders taking over polling stations……..or…..
Campaigners being given no go areas……..
Not under HEHH……..
We are here.
FWD2031
Dont know this chaps history and dont really care, but feel the sentence is a little harsh,
And to my Friend SPAKA Just watch your cadres next year then you can pass such comments
FWD 2026 and still looking for a credible leader
We admit…….
They may be some hotheads , who nevertheless will be dealt with………
But this will never be state orchestrated and supported………as in the past.
Not under HEHH…..
We are here
FWD2031
show evidence of the two burning cars
If you want evidence go to court and follow up the case, submit your complaint to the high court then you will get it. Are you asking Lusakatimes for evidence or your fellow readers?
Arson equals 10 years for torching a UPND cadre’s car.
Murder equals no conviction for taking a life of a PF cadres, Kungo.
Does anyone know by now how many opposition party seats have been confiscated by UPND under the guise of electoral malpractices? Keep counting. More of retribution than justice.
These criminals need to be made an example of………..
Let current crop take note……
FWD2031
@my zambia, you are dull and stiff necked..
Muntu1
I don’t care what you think of me. You have your own mind to think with. But the next time you want to debate, stick to what is relevant. I thank you for expressing your own subjective view, though.
You are clearly a cadre!!!!!!!!!Sadly, for you, from where you are standing power will never highlight at that stop.
Comment:democracy must be followed,those guys in pf thought that they were going to be in power forever,now see what you have costed for your life?
Yes arson is a serious offence … but but I must add apart from the seriousness of the crime politics have played a bigger part. If Chitotela was not in politics things would have been different… including bribing prosecutors to go and deliberately lose the case. Chitotela should have known better.
yes, as an ex-cop. surely, he should have known better. But was he present when they were burning that vehicle?
Someone thinks the court is stupid. This matter was held in open court in Kawambwa itself. The accused who are now convicts were represented by a sizeable team of defence lawyers that included Jonathan Zimba and Wynter Kabimba.
defence may too have comprised, Benjamin Mwelwa, Boniface Chiwala and Kampamba Kombe. How else do you expect the case to turn out when it was prejudiced all along. Is Winter not currently a turncoat, a latent state witness?
#Yaks. He wasn’t there and the supposed torched vehicle’s tank where the grass is said to have been put and set alight is very intact. Most interesting the person who fingered out Chitotela has left the village and living somewhere along the rail line.
Our UPND and the true Zambian nations, together we will build this nation in a sustainable wellbeing.
Sustainable wellbeing is integrating aspects of individual wellbeing and the wellbeing of the environment. Sustainable wellbeing is achieved when improving individual wellbeing is correlated with improving the wellbeing of other members of society and the natural environment.
Political violencen in 2021 was not a one way traffic. It was perpetuated by both opposition and ruling. This is a fact and the truth is in public eyes. Views differ depending on which vantage point one is positioned at. PF deserve justice, but who will give them that? No one. Someone told me all PFs are outlaws, carrying bounties on the heads.Tables never stop turning. They will turn again and again, and the cycle repeats when New Dawn retires.
@My Zambia, it’s quite shallow of you to even compare the pf behaviour regarding political violence to any other political or single party “at the time”. PF was a violent and unruly party, you must have been under a rock to even come and defend that nonsense
Murder is less serious than I arson I have come to believe…. the people who killed Konga are well known but are free. The!deot who’s just called you shallow is a demented Upnd cohort.
aba nabo…..va zee che…….
New Dawn will never retire with mehem legacy as PF has been buried. The next government will do even better than PF and UPND 1. Next upnd 2, others gone for ever.
Proper Judgment if you ask me. Political violence was extremely rampant in pf. examples are necessary.
Let them dance to there tunes ndomolo yasolo