Human Rights Commission Asks Police to Account for Mutotwe Kafwaya

The Human Rights Commission has confirmed it has personally visited four Lusaka police stations searching for former Lunte Member of Parliament Mutotwe Kafwaya, and was told at each one that he is not being held there, deepening a mystery MUVI has followed since his family first raised the alarm over his whereabouts last week.

The Commission, an independent constitutional body established under Article 230 of the Constitution with the power to visit places of detention and inspect the conditions of those held there, said it has been following up on reports concerning Kafwaya's whereabouts since Sunday, 16 August. Investigators visited Chelstone, Matero, Lusaka Central and Kabwata police stations, and were informed at each that Kafwaya was not in their custody. The Commission said Zambia Police command has not provided any further information on the matter since.

On Tuesday, 18 August, the Commission said it would extend its inquiries with spot checks at Chilenje, Twin Palm and Woodlands police stations, stations it has not yet visited in connection with this case, and continue engaging investigators at Zambia Police Service headquarters directly, committing to provide a further update as its inquiries progress.

The Commission was direct about what it expects from police. "If Mr Kafwaya is in lawful state custody, his place of detention should be disclosed to ensure due process is followed without hindrance," it said, adding that he is entitled to "unhindered access to his family and legal representatives under established minimum human rights standards."

Kafwaya has not been seen or heard from since Friday, 14 August, according to his family, who have appealed publicly to President Hakainde Hichilema and security agencies to help establish his whereabouts, an appeal MUVI has reported on separately. His name was also notably absent from a detailed government statement issued 16 August that named eleven other people arrested and facing charges following a security operation at a Kabulonga residence connected to NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile. Government officials, including the Defence and Information ministries, have separately and specifically denied circulating claims that Kafwaya was shot and admitted to a military hospital, describing those reports as false and unverified.

With an independent constitutional body now on record saying it has checked four police stations without success, Kafwaya's case has moved from a family's private appeal to a matter the country's own human rights watchdog says it cannot yet resolve.