Police investigate paramilitary officer’s death in Choma District

Police in Southern Province have instituted investigations into the death of a Paramilitary officer, Peter Kapenda, of Choma District who is reported to have committed suicide by shooting himself in the head using an AK-47 rifle.

Constable Kapenda was found half dressed with no shirt and shoes on, but was only wearing a grey soft trouser and his body was found lying in a pool of blood facing upwards, according to Moono Namalongo, the Southern Province Deputy Commanding Officer.

Namalongo in a statement issued in Choma on Saturday said the bullets were observed to have entered through the mouth and exited through the back of the head.

He said three empty cartridges were found at the scene but four rounds are suspected to have been fired at rapid.

“The Zambia Police Service wishes to inform the public that Choma Central Police Station on 10/01/2025 at 15:00 hours received a report from Constable Chisi Mwanje of platoon number 8 Paramilitary Lilayi Battalion in Lusaka, currently based at Sibanyati Basic School in Choma on operations, to the effect that his colleague Constable Kapenda Peter of the same platoon but operating from Sibanyati Basic School in Choma was found dead at a bush near Muchena Moyo Farm in Sibanyati area which is about 1km away from the named school,” Namalongo said.

He narrated that after receiving the information concerning his colleague, Mwanje, in the company of a Community Crime Prevention Unit member rushed to the area and confirmed the incident of suspected suicide using a firearm.

Namalongo stated that an AK-47 riffle bearing serial number 1971DV4190 with 26 rounds of ammunition was retrieved from the scene and upon receipt of the information, Police officers from Choma Central Police Station rushed to the scene and confirmed the report.

“Brief facts of the matter are that Constable Chisi Mwanje had left the now deceased at their house at Sibanyati Basic School where the two stay together on 09/01/25 at 19:00 hours as he went to attend a funeral within the nearby area and went back home at 02:00 hours in the early hours of 10/01/25 and did not find his colleague at home,” he said.

Namalongo stated that Mwanje also noticed that the AK-47 rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition was not there, continued searching for his colleague and tried calling him but his phone calls went unanswered.

He said Mwanje later received information from male, Collen Chijata aged 47 years of Sibanyati village who is also a member of the Community Crime Prevention Unit that there was someone found lying dead in the bush and they both rushed to the scene and discovered that it was his colleague Kapenda.

Namalongo said the body of the deceased had since been taken to Choma General Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.

“Investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances that led to the death of the paramilitary police officer,” he said.

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