‘How do you ask “how did they apprehend?”’: the Vice-President tells MPs the Government will not explain Jay Jay Banda’s capture — and says the lean Cabinet is working

The Government's position on the capture of Emmanuel Jay Banda hardened a little on Friday 23 October. Asked in Vice-President's Question Time by Sesheke East MP Romeo Kang'ombe whether it was right for some civil society organisations to question how a "criminal" had been brought to face the law, Vice-President Mutale Nalumango said the Government would not explain the circumstances of the former Petauke Central MP's apprehension, and that Banda himself should say how he came to be caught. Both the Zambia Daily Mail and News Diggers report the exchange.

News Diggers quotes her directly: "I think the former minister of home affairs did explain this matter, and it's very important," and then, "How do you ask 'how did they apprehend?'" The paper's account says she questioned how a man who styles himself "Miracle" and claims to foresee events had failed to foresee his own arrest, and that civil society groups should direct their questions to Banda rather than to the Government. The Daily Mail adds that she called for objective commentary, urged citizens to obey the law, warned that anyone involved in criminal activity would face the consequences, and advised law-enforcement agencies to grant bond to accused persons in line with the law and the circumstances of each case.

The argument over the CSOs

The question of how Banda was moved from Mozambique to Zambia has been contested since his capture, which News Diggers reported on 16 October. Lusaka Brief reported on 21 October that State House had rejected the civil-society groups' call for an explanation. The Daily Mail reported on Friday that other voices had joined in: Fabian Mutale, described as a democracy advocate, told Crown TV's Spotlight programme that some organisations were questioning the apprehension without addressing Banda's alleged escape from lawful custody, and said Banda should be charged with that as a further offence; the UPND's national youth chairperson, Gilbert Liswaniso, said CSOs should "remain truthful and objective when commenting on national issues" and apply the same standards "regardless of the individuals concerned". The Daily Mail's report does not name or quote the organisations it describes, and their response to Friday's remarks had not been reported by the outlets read for this edition. Banda has not been convicted of any offence arising from these events, and his own account of his return had not been published in those reports.

Maize money, COMESA and the Cabinet

The same session touched three other subjects, according to the Daily Mail. Nalumango told farmers who delivered grain to the Food Reserve Agency that their outstanding payments would be settled soon, pointing to the K14.7 billion set aside in the supplementary budget that Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane presented on Thursday and which Parliament has yet to approve. She said President Hichilema's election as vice-chairperson of COMESA would strengthen the bloc and help Zambia find export markets — "This man is a visionary man," she said. And she told MPs that the lean Cabinet of the second term was working effectively and would not hold up the 2027 budget, a question that has been asked since the President re-appointed his advisers on Thursday with the full Cabinet still awaited. She also, as reported in today's lead, said there would be no return to load-shedding.

Sources: Zambia Daily Mail, “Power stays on” (24 Oct 2026); News Diggers, “VEEP mocks Jay Jay: How did "Miracle" fail to see arrest coming?” (24 Oct 2026); Zambia Daily Mail, “Stakeholders challenge CSOs to be objective on Jay Banda” (23 Oct 2026).