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There was an emotional scene at the Supreme Court in Lusaka when Lucy Siawiyi, mother of slain Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Director General Guntila Muleya, broke down in tears during court proceedings.
Crying, “My son was killed like an animal,” she had to be escorted out of the courtroom by family members.
Her outburst came as chilling testimonies were delivered in the Lusaka High Court about the events leading to Muleya’s abduction and subsequent murder on July 23, 2024.
Detective Inspector Edwin Chitatula, a deputy criminal investigations officer at Ngwerere and former officer-in-charge of the Anti-Breaking (Scorpion) unit, testified that there was no official record indicating that Muleya was ever arrested in connection with any fraud case—contradicting earlier claims allegedly made by the accused.
Chitatula further revealed that on the day of the incident, one of the accused, police officer Caleb Zulu, did not report for work.
“I did not see him on July 23 at the office. He only returned on the 24th and 25th,” said Chitatula, who added that he later received a call around 03:00 hours on July 27 from his superior informing him of a murder involving one of his officers.
He explained that all activities by officers under the Scorpion unit were logged in the Occurrence Book (OB), including firearm issuance and operations—but no such entry existed for any operation involving Muleya on the day in question.
Under cross-examination, Chitatula conceded that officers may occasionally report for duty without their names appearing in the OB but stressed that firearm and vehicle booking procedures were strictly controlled.
The testimony also described how police recovered a phone in Kanyama, which led to the arrest of Musenge Musenge—allegedly connected to the crime but not currently before the court.
Further gripping testimony came from two hotel workers who witnessed Muleya’s abduction at Mika Convention Centre in Lusaka.
Frank Kampamba, 26, a gardener, said he heard a man pleading for help between 18:00 and 19:00 hours and rushed to investigate.
He found four men—one armed and another wearing an Arsenal jersey—forcing Muleya, who was in handcuffs, into a red vehicle that resembled a Toyota Rush or RAV4.
“One of the men said, ‘Mr Muleya, you know us. We are from the Anti-Fraud Commission,’ but he responded saying he didn’t know them,” Kampamba told the court. “They showed IDs when asked by my supervisor, but Muleya still refused to go with them.”
Another witness, Rodgers Banda, a housekeeper at Mika Spa, corroborated the incident. He said he recognized Muleya, a regular client, and saw him resisting entry into the vehicle. “He was stepping on the car door, refusing to be taken. He said, ‘I don’t know these people,’” Banda testified.
Both witnesses later participated in an identification parade and were able to identify some of the accused, including the man in an Arsenal jersey and another in camouflage, armed with a gun.
However, defence lawyers questioned the accuracy of the identifications and challenged inconsistencies in statements made to the police.
For instance, the defence pointed out that Banda’s police statement indicated the accused drove away Muleya’s car—something he appeared to contradict in court.
Standing trial for Muleya’s murder are four men: 29-year-old police officer M’Thusani Dokowe; his elder brother, Samuel Dokowe, a systems engineer; 42-year-old IBA accountant Francis Chipyoka; and 30-year-old police officer Caleb Zulu.
The four are jointly charged with one count of murder in connection with the abduction and fatal shooting of Muleya, whose body was found with two gunshot wounds.
The matter continues on Tuesday.
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