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A Zambian man was jailed for two years with hard labour for aiding a Congolese national to fraudulently obtain Zambian identity documents.
An American national also received concurrent two-year terms for possessing forged immigration stamps, the Department of Immigration announced.
Department of Immigration Chief Public Relations Officer, Namati Nshinka, confirmed this in a statement issued in Lusaka on Tuesday.
On June 26, 2026, the Livingstone Magistrate Court convicted Moses Ndamba Nzengo, 44, of aiding and abetting a prohibited immigrant.
Nshinka said the suspect was apprehended on February 23, 2026 after Officers at the Passport Office in Livingstone became suspicious of a Congolese national who had presented himself to acquire a Zambian National Registration Card using the alias Brighton Kunda and alerted the Livingstone Regional Immigration Office.
Investigations established that the Congolese national had travelled from Lusaka to Livingstone in the company of Moses Nzengo, who had knowingly facilitated the journey for the purpose of enabling him to fraudulently obtain Zambian identity documents.
It was further revealed that the convict had received the prohibited immigrant in Lusaka before accompanying him to Livingstone, where both spent the night before proceeding to the Passport Office the following morning.
“Following the investigations, Moses Ndamba Nzengo was arrested and subsequently prosecuted. The court sentenced him to twenty-four (24) months imprisonment with hard labour, effective from 26th February, 2026,” he said.
Nshinka said the Congolese was convicted under Sections 46(1)(a) and 46(2) of the Immigration and Deportation Act, Chapter 123 of the Laws of Zambia.
In a separate matter, on 29 June 2026, the Nakonde Magistrate Court convicted Mohamed Hassan Mohamed, 58, an American national of Somali origin, on five counts under the Immigration and Deportation Act.
Mohamed was apprehended on 15 June 2026 by an Immigration Officer manning the exit counters at Nakonde Border Control while attempting to leave Zambia.
“During routine exit formalities, officers discovered irregularities in his travel documents, prompting further investigations,” Nshinka said.
The investigations established that Mohamed Hassan Mohamed was in possession of four forged Immigration endorsement stamps, purporting to show that he had entered and exited Zambia through Nakonde Border Control on various occasions between September 2021 and January 2022.
“Investigators further established that he had remained in Zambia unlawfully after the expiry of his authorised period without applying for an extension of stay or any other immigration status,” he said.
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Nshinka stated that Mohamed was charged with four counts of possession of forged Immigration endorsement stamps and one count of remaining in Zambia after the expiry of his permit.
He said upon conviction, the court sentenced him to two years imprisonment with hard labour on each of the four counts relating to possession of forged Immigration endorsement stamps, with the sentences running concurrently.
On the fifth count of remaining in Zambia after the expiry of his permit, he was fined K3,000 or, in default, four months simple imprisonment.
“The Department wishes to warn members of the public against aiding or abetting prohibited immigrants or participating in schemes aimed at fraudulently obtaining Zambian identity or immigration documents,” Nshinka warned.
He also reminded foreign nationals to comply with the conditions of their stay and to refrain from using or being in possession of forged immigration documents or endorsements, as such offences attract severe penalties under the law.
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