Former Zambian minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was killed during a security forces raid on a property linked to opposition leader Brian Mundubile, authorities have confirmed.
The raid took place in Lusaka on Friday, one day after Zambia’s presidential election, amid rising political tensions over the result.
Police said Kafwaya, 49, was fatally wounded after officers from a joint security task force encountered gunfire and resistance during the operation and returned fire.
Eleven people were arrested in the raid.
Authorities have accused Mundubile’s National Restoration and People’s Unity Party (NRPUP) of involvement in “insurgency” and “militia activity”, claiming security forces recovered high-grade weapons from the property.
Mundubile, who has since gone into hiding, rejected the allegations as “total fabrications”.
According to official results, incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema secured a second five-year term after winning around 60% of the vote, while Mundubile received approximately 38%.
The opposition leader has rejected the outcome and said he intends to challenge the result in court, alleging irregularities in the vote-tallying process.
Kafwaya’s whereabouts had been unknown for several days following the security operation. Mundubile said on Tuesday that Kafwaya had been shot during the raid but that he did not know what had happened to him afterwards.
Police confirmed his death on Wednesday after his family identified his body.
Kafwaya entered parliament in 2016 and served under former President Edgar Lungu, becoming works minister in 2018 before moving to the transport ministry the following year.
He remained in government until 2021, when Lungu lost the presidency to Hichilema, and subsequently continued serving as an opposition MP.
The election itself was largely peaceful on polling day, according to regional and international observers, but concerns have been raised over the campaign environment and the handling of the results.
The European Union election observation mission said restrictions imposed on opposition parties before the vote may have contributed to an “uneven contest”.
Observers also raised concerns over the tallying process after counting resumed following a six-hour suspension ordered by the electoral commission amid reported attacks on staff and allegations of ballot-box theft.
The EU mission said procedures at several tallying centres were inconsistent, including failures to immediately record announced results and weaknesses in verifying electronic entries against paper records.
Observers also reported a heavy military presence at some counting centres, which they described as intimidating, and called for greater transparency over the final results.
The electoral commission has faced further criticism for not publishing polling-station-level results.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s Human Rights Commission has demanded accountability over people whose whereabouts remain unknown following arrests and security operations surrounding the election.
The commission said anyone detained beyond the legally permitted period should either be brought before a court or released, while allegations of unlawful detention or disappearance should be independently investigated.
