Lusaka Magistrates’ Courts were rocked by a shocking revelation when inmates disclosed that three deaths had occurred at the Lusaka Central Correctional Facility within a single week.
This disclosure was made during the sentencing of Emmanuel Mtonga, who had pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking marijuana.
During mitigation, Mtonga, appealing for leniency, told Magistrate Amy Masoja, “A lot of people are dying in prison. There are too many problems there.”
The magistrate, visibly concerned, interrogated Mtonga further about his claims.
“So, people die every week? I inspected the facility yesterday, and no one informed me of such deaths,” she said.
Mtonga responded, “We were told during the parade that someone died yesterday, but I don’t know his name.”
Magistrate Masoja expressed her dissatisfaction, stating, “This is concerning. The officer in charge did not report any deaths during our inspection. You are telling me there were deaths, but no one informed us.”
When questioned further, another accused confirmed that three inmates had died—two on Tuesday and the third reportedly passing away on Thursday. However, the names of the deceased remained unknown.
Magistrate Masoja, alarmed by the revelations, said this information was critical and deeply concerning.
Despite his plea for leniency, Mtonga, 29, of Bauleni, was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment with hard labor.