By 
Independent Chongwe East Member of Parliament, Anita Kamanga, has denied allegations of violence, bribery and distributing handouts during the 2026 election campaign, telling the Lusaka High Court that residents voted for her because of her community work.
Kamanga was testifying in a petition by former Lands and Natural Resources Minister Sylvia Masebo challenging her election as Chongwe East MP.
Kamanga won the August 13, 2026 election with 16,058 votes, while Masebo, who stood on the ruling UPND ticket, polled 6,798 votes. NRPUP candidate Geoffrey Chumbwe received 3,185 votes.
Masebo is asking the High Court to nullify Kamanga’s election, alleging, among other things, violence, intimidation, bribery and other electoral malpractices during the campaign. Kamanga and the Electoral Commission of Zambia have denied the allegations.
Kamanga, 29, told the court that she merely lobbied residents for their support and maintained that neither she nor her campaign team engaged in violence.
She said her charitable activities started in 2019 to support vulnerable people and children with disabilities in Chongwe, including distributing wheelchairs, clothes and shoes.
Kamanga said she had lobbied for wheelchairs long before the election and obtained 52 from the Ministry of Community Development.
She said on December 25, 2025, she held a Christmas event for people with disabilities and elderly residents of Manyika Ward in Chongwe.
Kamanga denied that photographs contained in Masebo’s evidence showed donations made during the campaign period to entice voters.
“The petitioner told the court that these donations were done during the campaign period to entice voters. No, my Lord. I started my charity work in 2019 and I gave these wheelchairs in December,” she said.
She said she suspended all charitable activities during the campaign period in compliance with ECZ guidelines prohibiting handouts and charity work.
Kamanga said she only resumed the activities after August 20, 2026, when she helped about 150 people in Chongwe with assistance from the Muslim community.
On allegations of violence, Kamanga said she was always with her campaign team unless circumstances required otherwise and that her team followed the ECZ campaign timetable.
Regarding Patrick Mudima, whom Masebo’s witnesses allegedly linked to violence involving her campaign team, Kamanga said she had never met him before he testified in court.
“The first time I saw Mudima was here when he testified against me,” she said.
Kamanga also denied being present when Mudima was allegedly threatened, saying she could not remember where she was in July but was not at the alleged incident.
She said on July 17, she was campaigning in Chongwe Ward in accordance with the ECZ timetable and was receiving Tonse Alliance defectors.
Kamanga said chaos erupted while she was addressing the gathering and that her security team removed her from a Hino truck being used as a campaign platform and took her to her black Lexus.
“We were attacked. We never threw stones at anyone. I have never owned a gun and I do not know how to use it,” she said.
She said 17 youths at her campaign camp did not possess guns.
Kamanga denied allegations that she handed pepper spray to a campaigner identified as Oliver, who allegedly sprayed Eliza Kabwata.
She said Oliver’s first action was to secure her in her vehicle before they rushed to the police.
Read More: Witnesses allege attack by Kamanga supporters in Masebo petition
Kamanga also denied distributing money, plates or rice during the campaign.
She said plastic plates were used as her campaign symbol after her team was stopped from using the candle symbol.
“I never gave money to anyone during the campaign period, even up to August 13,” she said.
Kamanga said she previously distributed rice to hungry residents before the campaign period, earning her the nickname “Rice Princess”, but stopped the practice during the campaign.
She further denied making statements concerning allegedly hidden containers and 25 years of lack of development in Chongwe.
“People of Chongwe voted for me because I worked for it. I gave the vulnerable food and supported children,” Kamanga said.
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