Maid jailed two years for stealing employer’s gun, household goods worth K125,000

A Lusaka Magistrate has sentenced a 32-year-old live-in maid to two years’ simple imprisonment after she helped herself to her employer’s firearm, a ballistic report and an astonishing haul of household goods worth more than K120,000.

Fina Muntanga, of Makeni, was convicted of theft by servant after she changed her plea to guilty before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.

According to court records, the offences were committed between August 1 and October 14, 2025, while Muntanga was employed as a maid by Jamie Mukuwa, who had entrusted her with the home during his absence.

What began as a routine domestic arrangement unravelled when the homeowner returned from out of town to find both the maid and a long list of household items missing.

The stolen property resembled a full household inventory rather than a quick burglary, and included a Taurus pistol, a ballistic report, chafing dishes, floor mats, assorted clothing, table lamps, curtains and bedding.

The total value of the stolen items was assessed at K125,550.

Police investigations quickly centred on Muntanga as the prime suspect. After her arrest, she led officers to Kamwala South, where some items worth K46,000 were recovered.

Muntanga initially denied the charge but later changed her plea to guilty. In mitigation, she begged for leniency, saying she was a single mother of one child who depended on her.

However, Magistrate Amy Masoja-Chilangwa said the offence struck at the core of trust between employers and domestic workers.

“The complainant placed trust in you and left you in control of his property. Such conduct must be deterred because it instills fear in people who wish to employ others,” the magistrate said.

She then sentenced Muntanga to two years’ simple imprisonment.

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