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Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) says it considered it a serious security breach when former President Edgar Lungu and former First Lady Esther Lungu bypassed the Archway metal detector at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport without undergoing comprehensive screening.
ZACL argued that, under the amended Chapter 7, Section 7.5 of the National Civil Aviation Security Programme, the former president was not exempt from screening, and that the former first lady was never exempt at the time of the incident on January 19, 2025.
The corporation made the submission in response to a lawsuit filed by former Manager of Aviation Security, Paul Kasonde, who was dismissed for allegedly allowing the former first couple to bypass standard security checks. Kasonde is suing for wrongful dismissal.
“The plaintiff was charged and later dismissed for failing to report an irregularity to his superiors regarding a security breach,” ZACL stated in its defence.
“This breach occurred when the former president and first lady were allowed to bypass the Archway metal detector without undergoing comprehensive screening, contrary to established protocols,” it added.
ZACL contends that Kasonde had a duty to report the incident but failed to do so. The breach was instead reported by the airport manager to the Director of Airport Services.
The corporation also revealed that Kasonde was on a three-year fixed-term contract that began on February 15, 2021, and was renewed on February 20, 2024, to run until 2027. However, his employment was terminated on February 10, 2025, following a disciplinary process.
Kasonde appealed the dismissal, but the Appeals Committee upheld the decision, concluding that he had been properly dismissed for failing to report misconduct or irregularities involving staff or passengers.
In his statement of claim, Kasonde argued that the former president was exempt from screening under the Airport VIP Facilitation Procedures, which he claimed were still in effect at the time.
“The plaintiff’s response to the charge and subsequent dismissal was that the former President was and remains listed as exempt from airport security screening. Therefore, his clearance without passing through the Archway metal detector did not constitute a security breach warranting formal reporting,” the statement read.
ZACL has denied any wrongdoing and urged the court to dismiss the claim with costs, maintaining that Kasonde’s dismissal was lawful and followed due process under its Grievance Procedure and Disciplinary Code (2022).
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