Update: High Court orders State to produce Lima MP Kelvin Kaunda for bail hearing on 27 October

The Lusaka High Court has ordered the State to produce Lima Member of Parliament Kelvin Kaunda before Judge Kaumbi Ndulo on Tuesday 27 October for the hearing of his application for bail pending trial. In a notice of hearing, the judge directed all concerned parties to appear. Mr Kaunda has been in custody since 15 October. He is accused of assaulting Anthony Mwamba during election campaigns, and the charge is assault occasioning actual bodily harm under Section 248 of the Penal Code. He was moved from Lubwa Police Post to Mwembeshi Prison, a transfer confirmed by Zambia Correctional Service Head of Public Relations Superintendent Cornelius Mwanza. In his application, made under Section 123 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows the High Court to grant bail pending trial, Mr Kaunda challenges his continued detention. He argues that he has not been brought before a court of competent jurisdiction even though he has been charged, and that the delay leaves him with no fixed date to appear or be released. He says the offence is bailable, that he has a fixed home address and is not a flight risk, that he can offer traceable sureties, and that he will follow any bail conditions and will not interfere with witnesses. He has not been convicted of any offence. ## Why it matters Under Zambian law a person who is arrested must be taken before a court within a set time, and the High Court can grant bail where the lower court has not dealt with the matter. How Judge Ndulo handles the application will show how quickly the courts act when an elected MP says he is held without a court appearance. The same rules apply to every Zambian who is held in a police cell or prison. ## What happens next The High Court hears the bail application on 27 October. The State is expected to respond to the grounds Mr Kaunda has put forward, and the judge will decide whether to grant bail and on what conditions. Source: News Diggers, 24 October 2026, 06:50 (Africa/Lusaka). Link: <https:/