Lima MP Kelvin Kaunda released from Mwembeshi Prison on K30,000 bail

Lima Constituency MP Kelvin Kaunda has been released from Mwembeshi Prison after the Lusaka High Court granted him bail. Judge Kaumbi Ndulo set bail at K30,000 cash, with two traceable working sureties in the same sum, pending trial. Mr Kaunda is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm under Section 248 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia. The charge concerns the alleged assault of Anthony Mwamba during election campaigns. He has not been convicted. Another report describes the complainant as a UPND cadre and places the alleged assault at a campaign roadshow on Zingalume Road in Lusaka on 7 August. ## How he came to be held Police arrested Mr Kaunda on 15 October at the High Court grounds, where he was attending a hearing of a petition challenging his election as MP. He was first held at Lubwa Police Post and later moved to Mwembeshi Prison, a transfer Zambia Correctional Service confirmed. He asked the High Court for bail after saying he had already met the conditions for police bond, backed by three MPs as sureties, yet stayed in custody at different facilities. The High Court had earlier set 27 October for the hearing of his application. ## Why it matters Police and prosecutors have faced criticism from opposition leaders over the arrest of political figures. Under Zambian law, a person charged with an offence that is bailable is entitled to ask a court for release while the case goes on, and bail does not decide guilt or innocence. For Lima constituents, Mr Kaunda is back in the community while his criminal case and the separate election petition both continue. ## What happens next No trial date has been reported. Mr Kaunda must meet the bail terms and appear when the court calls him. The petition against his election remains before the court. SOURCE: News Diggers, 28 October 2026. Original story: <https://diggers.news/courts/2026/10/28/kaunda-released-on-bail/>