Kasama Farmer Gets 29 Years For Manslaughter

By NANCY SIAME
THE Kasama High Court has slapped a 20-year jail sentence with hard labour on a 29-year-old peasant farmer of Kalisha village in Chief Mubanga’s area in Chinsali for causing the death of his friend after pulling his genitals.
Kitwe High Court judge-in-charge Isaac Chali, sitting in Kasama, recently jailed Davies Nondo after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter.
Nondo was earlier charged with murder.
Particulars of the offence were that Nondo on May 13, 2012 in Chinsali, murdered Clement Mubanga.
Passing the sentence, Mr Justice Chali said he had taken Nondo’s mitigation into consideration but that he had noted an increase in the number of deaths caused as result of fights when people are drinking.
“I have seen the increase in the number of deaths caused during drinking sprees and there is need to curb this scourge,” Mr Justice Chali said.
He said the circumstances in which the deceased died are aggravating, considering that Nondo is the one who provoked him.
Mr Justice Chali said Nondo needs to be tamed by giving him some stiffer punishment.
In mitigation, Nondo pleaded with the court to be lenient on him because he will forever be haunted by Mr Mubanga’s death.
Facts before the court were that on the material day around 19:00 hours, Mr Mubanga was drinking a highly potent spirit commonly known as kachasu at a house with his friend Evans Chewe when Nondo went there around 20:00 hours.
The court heard that Nondo started slapping and punching Mr Chewe for no reason.
“The deceased tried to stop the convict from beating his friend but he pulled his private parts and he fell and hit his head on the ground,” the facts read in part.
Mr Mubanga died on the spot and Nondo immediately fled the scene.
The body was taken to Chinsali General Hospital and Nondo was arrested on May 16, 2012 for murder which was later reduced to manslaughter.