The Member of Parliament for Lima, Kelvin Kaunda, has been in custody since Thursday 15 October on a single charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and on Wednesday 21 October News Diggers reported that he had been moved from Lubwa police post to Mwembeshi, where his lawyer, Emmanuel Kaluba, said he was denied access to his client. Zambia Correctional Service spokesman Superintendent Cornelius Mwanza confirmed the transfer, telling the paper: “He is at Mwembeshi Remand.” Mr Kaluba said the police had moved his client to an undisclosed location without informing him.
The charge, under section 248 of the Penal Code, arises from a complaint that a 26-year-old man from Lusaka’s Soweto area was assaulted with stones and fists on Zingalume Road during campaign roadshows at about 19:30 on 7 August, suffering a deep cut to the forehead and a swollen lip, police spokesperson Chipo Kaitisha said in a statement reported by Zambia Monitor on 16 October. Mr Kaunda, 44, of Roma, was described as being in custody awaiting court proceedings. He has not entered a plea and the allegation has not been tested.
The bail application
Zambia Monitor reported on Wednesday that Mr Kaunda has applied for bail pending trial. In an affidavit he says he has been held at Lubwa since 15 October without being brought before a court. His lawyers argue that the offence is bailable, that he has a fixed address in Lusaka and is not a flight risk, that he can provide traceable sureties and will not interfere with witnesses, and that the Criminal Procedure Code requires an arrested person to be taken to court within 24 hours or considered for bond where that is not practicable. The outlet does not name the court hearing the application or report any police response to the custody claims.
The arrest came shortly after the Lusaka High Court adjourned an election petition brought by UPND candidate Lee Mukupa, who alleges electoral malpractice in a contest Mr Kaunda won by 22,760 votes to 8,041, Zambia Monitor reported; the petition hearing was adjourned on Tuesday because Mr Kaunda was not present in court.
Questions about the length of detention
The detention has drawn public comment. Lusaka businessman Chomba Kaoma said on 19 October, as reported by the Zambian Observer, that fellow MPs had submitted sureties and documents for police bond and that the law provides for 48 hours, accusing officers of disregarding the President’s guidance on detentions. Those are his assertions; the police had not responded to them in the reports reviewed.
Confirmed vs. alleged
Confirmed: Mr Kaunda was arrested on 15 October and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (police statement via Zambia Monitor). The Correctional Service confirms he is at Mwembeshi remand (News Diggers). He has filed a bail application (Zambia Monitor). His election petition was adjourned on Tuesday in his absence.
Alleged or unverified: Whether and when he will appear in court on the charge; the reason for the transfer to Mwembeshi; the lawyer’s account of being refused access; and the claim that sureties were lodged and ignored. The assault allegation itself is untested.
Sources: News Diggers, “Kaunda moved to Mwembeshi Prison, lawyer denied access” (21 Oct 2026); Zambia Monitor, “Lima MP seeks bail after languishing in police custody” (21 Oct 2026); Zambia Monitor, “Police arrest Lima MP, Kelvin Kaunda for assault” (16 Oct 2026); Zambian Observer, “KAOMA QUESTIONS KELVIN KAUNDA’S CONTINUED DETENTION” (19 Oct 2026).