Over 200 Old People Gunned Down In Zambia Over Witchcraft

Some of the gunmen arrested in Nakonde

By Paul Shalala

Over 200 elderly people have been gunned down by hired killers in the northern Zambian region of Muchinga in the past three years on allegations of being witches.

A total of 243 elderly people have lost their lives so far, 26 of them in the first four months of this year.

Lawlessness has spread to villages in the area with people hiring gunmen to kill elderly people who are suspected of practicing witchcraft.

Muchinga is a new Province which was created in 2011 and it borders Malawi and Tanzania.

It is a mostly rural region with a few towns dotted along the Great North Road which leads to the strategic border town of  Nakonde on the Zambia-Tanzania border.

The most affected districts are Isoka, Shiwangandu, Lavushimanda, Mafinga, and Nakonde.

According to Muchinga Province Police Commissioner Joel Njase, the killings are being done with the many illegal arms held by civilians.

Mr. Njase says some witch finders are also escalating the situation by pointing at elderly people as suspected witches.

“Police is still building more intelligence information on other suspects but we will act once we conclude our investigations. We also have a number of witch finders appearing (in court) for naming persons to be wizards,” said Mr. Njase in an interview with this blogger.

Most persons hiring the killers are said to be family members and the level of secrecy is too high.

Due to the underdeveloped nature of the area and illiteracy, some people believe that elderly people who either walk naked or talk to themselves are witches.

This is how some family members hire killers to clear their relatives.

“55 died in 2015 and the figures have being increasing reaching 86 in 2017 but reduced to 76 last year. This year so far we have 26 and the figure is expected to reduce further to below 40 by end of 2019,” he added.

Last week, Police in Nakonde mounted a major operation against illegal arms, arresting four suspects and recovering several guns.

All the suspects apprehended were charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and five muzzle Loaders.

Some of the guns confiscated from suspected gunmen

The oldest among the gunmen was 76 while the youngest was 19.

 Six muzzle loaders were recovered and Police suspects the guns have been used in the killings of elderly people on suspicion of practicing witchcraft in Uzinji and Chozi areas.

Authorities in the region are now calling on sensitizations of villagers on old age and what comes with it.

Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary Joyce Nsamba, on a visit to Mafinga District, said government will soon embark on a sensitization programme against the killings.

Ms Nsamba said it is unfortunate that people in rural areas are killing innocent old people, some of whom are not even involved in witchcraft.

Traditional leaders are now worried that their subjects are now living in fear of being targeted by hired gunmen.

However, it is not yet known how much the gunmen are paid to kill a suspected witch.

How Islam Came To Be A Dominant Religion In Nsama District

By Paul Shalala in Nsama

Muslim women clad in hijabs

It may be unusual in some parts of Zambia to see women clad in the Arabic hijab attire but here in Nsama District of Northern Province, this is a common site.

For the men, wearing the japar, a simple head dress is also part of the dressing here.

According to local Muslim leaders, Islam has been a dominant force in Nsama for hundreds of years.

But how did this religion come to this remote area?

How come this small and remote district has managed to have 18 mosques and thousands of members?

These are the questions I posed to local muslim leaders who know something about this topic.

"Islam came with a muslim businessman by the name of Abdullah. He was very kind and taught people the goodness of Islam. This is why you are seeing that hundreds of people are joining the religion here," said Abdallah Bin Sleman the Amir of Nsama Mosque.

But according to locals, Abdullah was actually a slave trader who bought slaves and transported them to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam.

However, non of the muslim leaders here agree that the slave trade in the 1800s brought Islam to Nsama.

"Islam came with good people. These people taught the word of God and brought good to society. It is these good works that have attracted people to Allah and Islam. It is not true that Abdullah bought and sold slaves," said Sheikh Yahya John of Kabuta Mosque.

The history of muslims in this area keeps changing depending on who is narrating it to you.

But according to oral tradition, Islam came with some Tanzanians who were invited to help the local Tabwa people in the 1800s when they were under attack by the Bembas who were trying to conquer Tabwaland and extend the Chitimukulu’s chiefdom.

"We had wars here. The Bembas were fighting to conquer us so that we can become their subjects. They had spears and bows and arrows but we had nothing," said Renwick Musonda, a local historian.

He says because of the abundance fish in the many rivers and lakes in Nsama, the Bembas were interested in snatching the land so that it can be of benefit to their kingdom.

"We were almost defeated and we decided to invite our muslim friends in Tanzania who had guns. They fought with the Bembas and repulsed them."

It is believed that after this victory, the Tabwa people allowed the Tanzanians to settle in Tabwaland and today, two sub-chiefs here have Tanzanian roots.

"As a way of saying thank you, we allowed our muslim friends to stay. Thats how today we have two sub-chiefs with Tanzanian blood. They are now part of us. We freely marry each other and live together," said Jonas Musenge, another historian.

But most young people in Nsama have accepted oral tradition as the best explanation of how Islam came to this region.

They are taught from a tender age that the Bembas wanted to conquer Tabwaland due to its rich fish species found in several lakes, rivers and streams.

"I was born here in Nsama and went to marry in Mporokoso where they used to laugh at us that we were defeated by the Bembas. Actually i explained to them that it was actually the Tabwas who defeated the Bembas with the help of the muslims who were better armed," said Jerian Kasankula, a local youth.

The Muchinga Escarpment

From oral tradition, it is also claimed that the hills that separate Bembaland from Tabwaland came to be known as Muchinga Escarpment because they helped protect the Tabwas from the conquering Bemba warriors.

In Bemba, the word ukuchingilila means protection hence the name Muchinga.

Despite having multiple explanations on the history of Islam in Nsama, one thing is for sure: Islam is here to stay and it has had a huge impact on society.

People's ways of life has changed and their dressing has also been transformed.

Zambia is constitutionally a christian nation but other religions are also allowed to flourish just like Islam is doing in Nsama District.

Met Office Warns Of Flash Floods In Zambia

By Paul Shalala

Flash floods

The Meteorological Department has disclosed that the northern parts of the country are expected to continue experiencing sporadic showery activities this month.

Meteorological Department Director Jacob Nkomoki says from October to December, the whole country is expected to receive normal rainfall.

"The northern districts of Zambia along with Eastern Province and parts of Muchinga Province will receive normal rains while the rest of the country will receive normal to above normal rain," said Nkomoki in a press statement.

He adds that from January to March, the country is expected to have normal to above normal rainfall.

Mr Nkomoki has further revealed that in the 2014 to 2015 rain season, the country may experience flash floods and a weak El-Nino signal.

K85 Million Mpika Fuel Storage Depot Commissioned

Part of the Mpika Fuel Storage Depot -Picture by Paul Shalala

By Paul Shalala in Mpika

The Mpika Fuel Storage Depot which has been constructed at the cost of K85 million is now fully operational.

The facility, whose construction started in March 2011, has the capacity of 6.5 million liters for petroleum products.

Government constructed the facility with funding from its strategic fuel reserve funds.


"The commissioning of the Mpika Fuel Storage Depot is a confirmation that the removal of subsidies is bearing fruit in Zambia," said Lands Minister Mwansa Kapeya who commissioned the facility on Friday last week at a ceremony attended by 5 local chiefs and scores of Mpika residents.


Mr Kapeya, who is also Mpika Central Member of Parliament, said the commissioning of the fuel depot in Muchinga Province will help reduce the cost of fuel in the area.



"This facility is expected to supply fuel to Luapula, Muchinga and Northern Provinces at a cheaper price," he added said.

At tfull capacity, the Mpika Fuel Storage Depot is expected to be dispatching atleast 40 trucks full of petroleum products on a daily basis.


 "In its full capacity, this depot will be able to receive 30 trucks full of stock and we will be able to dispatch 40 trucks full of petroleum products on a daily basis," said Davison Thawete, TAZAMA Managing Director.

The Mpika Fuel Storage Depot becomes the second such facility to be commissioned after the Lusaka Depot was commissioned in August 2013.

Under phase one of the constructiuon of provincial fuel depots, government is also constructing such facilities in Mongu and Solwezi where works have already commenced.

In the next two years, construction works under phase two of the provincial fuel depots will also commence in Choma, Kapiri Mposhi, Chipata, Kasama and Mansa.