The petition that ended with a handshake: Mwewa confirmed as Lusaka mayor after Kibombwe consents to withdraw

The contest over Lusaka's mayoralty ended not with a judgment but with a consent. The Local Government and Elections Tribunal on Wednesday formally withdrew the petition challenging Chitambala Mwewa's election as Mayor of Lusaka, after petitioner Gabriel Kibombwe, Mwewa and their lawyers jointly agreed to end the case.

Kibombwe — who stood for the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity among six candidates in the 13 August mayoral election — had petitioned the declaration of Mwewa as winner, filing case number 2026/EP/LGET/001 under the Electoral Process Act as amended this year. The tribunal had earlier ordered the Electoral Commission of Zambia to produce all documents relating to the poll and to avail a witness to speak to them.

That order never bit. ECZ lawyer Eric Kamwi told the tribunal that while complying, the commission received considerations from the other parties: "It was jointly agreed by consent of all the parties that this petition be withdrawn by mutual consent," he said, citing Rule 28 of the Local Government Election Tribunal Rules, Statutory Instrument 32 of 2026. Mwewa's lawyer, Mambwe Lungu, submitted that the tribunal had jurisdiction to grant leave to withdraw.

Tribunal chairperson Dominic Makalicha agreed. "It is clear that law has been followed for this petition to be withdrawn," he ruled, granting the application and leaving Mwewa as the duly elected Mayor of Lusaka district.

The withdrawal closes a chapter that opened on 27 August and briefly promised a full hearing — the tribunal had only last week thrown out Mwewa's own preliminary bid to dismiss the petition over service rules. Instead, City Hall gets certainty, and the UPND keeps the capital's mayoral chain.

Sources: Lusaka Times, "Court Declares Mwewa Winner Of Lusaka Mayoral Seat" (24 Sep 2026); Zambia Monitor (27 Aug 2026); News Diggers (19 Sep 2026).