Ex-envoy, Mwamba, urges govt to allow jailed PF chieftain, Kambwili, urgent medical attention

Zambia’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia, Emmanuel Mwamba, has appealed to the government to urgently allow former Information and Publicity Minister, Chishimba Kambwili, to access medical treatment due to his deteriorating health condition.

Kambwili is currently serving a five-month jail sentence after losing his appeal against a conviction for expressing hatred or ridicule based on tribe or place of origin—remarks he made during a radio broadcast in 2021.

This follows the Kasama High Court’s decision on July 14, 2025, to uphold the Magistrate’s Court ruling, after which Kambwili immediately began serving his sentence.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, Mwamba called on Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu and Zambia Correctional Service Commissioner General Frederick Chilukutu to intervene and authorise Kambwili’s access to urgent medical care.

“Last night, prison authorities transported former Cabinet Minister and Patriotic Front Central Committee Member, Chishimba Kambwili, from Milima Correctional Facility in Kasama to Lusaka,” Mwamba stated.

Read More: Kambwili, ex-Information Minister, jailed five months for hate speech, as High court upholds conviction

He said that given Kambwili’s poor health and recent treatment at Kasama General Hospital, the family had hoped he would be transferred to either Maina Soko Medical Centre or the University Teaching Hospital for specialised care.

However, Mwamba expressed dismay that Kambwili was instead taken to the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court to face charges of unlawful assembly.

“You may recall that Kambwili was arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and allegedly threatening violence in connection with a gathering at his Lusaka residence, where youths were protesting the high cost of living,” Mwamba said.

He lamented that despite Kambwili’s visibly poor health, authorities returned him to prison without allowing him access to proper medical treatment.

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