EMOTIONS ran high outside the Kabwe High Court on Tuesday as Joseph Chiteta, a former paramilitary officer and trustee inmate was being sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of seven women.
Among the crowd were heartbroken family members of the victims, some of whom could barely held back their tears as the judge delivered the long-awaited verdict.
Two of the victims’ daughters, Lilian Nakambo and Hellen Kaomba, said they dropped out of school after losing their mother.
“We had to drop out of school after our mother was killed,” they said outside court.
“But today’s ruling finally brings us some peace and gives us a chance to start rebuilding our lives.”
Chiteta, who was only months away from completing a 20-year sentence for aggravated robbery, had been given trustee status by the correctional services, a privilege allowing him to work outside the prison under minimal supervision.
But instead of using that freedom responsibly, Chiteta used it to commit some of the most disturbing crimes the country has seen.
As a trustee, he had access to prison visitor records.
He through those records, picked out names of families who had relatives in prison and then contacted the women pretending that he could help their loved ones.
Once gained their trust, he lured them to Egypt Venture Farm, the place where he worked as an inmate and killed them.
The seven victims, Priscilla Kafumbo, Elizabeth Kazadi, Naomi Namulukwa, Virginia Chanda, Doreen Nyambe, Janice Jani and Mwanangombe Situmbeko were later found buried at the same farm where Chiteta led the police.
State Advocate Patience Phiri Chila, who led the prosecution team, said the case showed just how organised and calculated Chiteta had been.
“The evidence presented left no doubt about the systematic nature of these crimes,” Chila said.
When delivering the sentence, Judge-in-Charge Kelvin Limbani said the case exposed serious weaknesses in how trustee inmates are supervised.
He directed the Zambia Correctional Service to review and tighten its procedures to ensure that no inmate can misuse such privileges again.
Meanwhile, the co-accused, Miles Malaya, has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for February 11–13, 2026.
According to the National Prosecution Authority of Zambia, the serial killer also faces separate charges in Ndola High Court for crimes committed after escaping custody in 2020, including the rape of an 18-year-old girl and the murder of a mother and her infant.
By George Musonda
Kalemba November 16, 2025
