Where Is Binwell Mpundu? His Absence Deepens Questions About Accountability and Due Process

GUEST ARTICLE: Where Is Binwell Mpundu? His Absence Deepens Questions About Accountability and Due Process

By: Thomas Moyo

The whereabouts of former Nkana Independent Member of Parliament Binwell Mpundu remain publicly unknown after he failed to appear before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court on 20 August 2026. His absence raises serious questions about personal accountability, judicial compliance and Zambia’s tense post-election political climate.

According to News Diggers, Mpundu was expected to receive a ruling on whether the prosecution had established a case for him to answer on a charge of seditious practices. The court ordered his sureties to appear on 17 September and explain his whereabouts.

Significantly, defence lawyer Norman Siwila reportedly told the court that attempts to contact Mpundu had failed because his known telephone numbers were not connecting. According to Zambia Monitor, neither the State nor Mpundu’s own lawyer could explain his absence.

The existing sedition case must be distinguished from Mpundu’s controversial election-period video. The National Prosecution Authority states that the charge concerns a December 2024 social-media publication allegedly encouraging politicians to acquire firearms for self-defence.

Separately, shortly before the 13 August election, Mpundu posted a video declaring that he was prepared to be killed or to kill over the election. He later acknowledged making the statement and apologised, while maintaining that it had been taken out of context. The Electoral Commission of Zambia subsequently revoked his accreditation to the National Results Centre. According to News Diggers, Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro argued that the remarks could incite violence and undermine the peaceful conduct of the election.