Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sports Deputy Minister Stephen Masumba sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour

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The Lusaka Magistrate Court has sentenced Sports Deputy Minister Stephen Masumba to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour.

Director of Local Courts Wilfred Muma sitting as Magistrate said to deter would-be offenders Masumba should serve twelve months with hard labour for obtaining pecuniary advantage by using a fake certificate to obtain a job.

And in mitigation, Defence lawyer Mutakela Lisimba asked the court to exercise leniency on his client as he is a family man and a Deputy Minister.Mr. Lisimba said a custodial sentence would cause untold misery to Mr. Masumba’s family and constituency.

Meanwhile, Masumba’s lawyer told Magistrate Muma that he had appealed to the High Court but Muma refused to grant the appeal in court saying the law does not allow appeal in court while the court is passing sentence. By Press time the matter had been adjourned to chambers were it will be decided whether to accept the appeal or not.

Masumba was convicted by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of obtaining employment at the Lusaka Business and Technical College as an accounting officer using a forded accounting diploma but said to have been awarded to him by NIPA.
He was charged with one count of obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

Masumba obtained employment for himself from Lusaka Business and Technical College as an accounting officer using the erroneously awarded diploma.
His argument has been that NIPA gave him the diploma by mistake.

Update:
The Lusaka Magistrate Court has given Mr. Masumba a 10,000 Kwacha cash bail with two working surities pending appeal in the High Court.

116 COMMENTS

  1. Well….this is a good example to everyone more especially those who have forged the papers.However, I would like to see an action being taken to NIPA management.How can such a mistake be made?

    • And this is the caliber of people Sata surrounds himself with! *disgusted* PF should really wake up and not think running a country is childs play and Zambians should wake up and stop believing stupid campaign promises.Look at the policy that a party advocates for and not rhetoric .Remember empty tins make the loudest noise.

    • Iwe X mama. ifyakulandalanda. how is PF suppose to know He forged a certificate when NIPA itself issued it.? its a diffrent case if we talking about a Matero certificate.

    • EX-MOMA. ON THE CONTRARY, PF IS NOT SWEEPING THESE THINGS UNDER THE CARPET. THERE IS A LOT OF MISDEEDS THAT WENT UNDER THE CARPET IN PREVIOUS GOVTS INCLUDING MISBEHAVIOUR BY THE PRESIDENT’S SONS AND RELATIVES.

    • Ex-moma, masumba has been sent to prison because worked for Lusaka Business Technical College from December, 2005 to August 2008. This has nothing to do with SATA and the government. It was the responsibility of masumba to be truthful about his life.
      Ex-moma, your life is your responsibility the choices you made yesterday brought about the life you have today. In my humble opinion there is absolutely no point in consistently raking up the mistakes of individuals to the executive and government.

    • So if the doctor gives me fake ARV’s I should be arrested obtaining pecuniary advantage to suppress herpes, diahaorrea, TB & the like? I thought the person who offers is the one who is wrong. What if Masumba sues NIPA for giving him an erroneously diploma? …

    • So if the doctor gives me fake ARV’s I should be arrested obtaining pecuniary advantage to suppress herpes, diahaorrea, TB & the like? I thought the person who offers is the one who is wrong. What if Masumba sues NIPA for giving him an erroneously diploma? …………..

    • @Paolo this is just a tip of the iceberg. The problem of doctored results has been there in public institutions and schools for a very long time. Even at UNZA I know of cases of people graduating with results that were giving at computer center and not by the lecturer. It is the same thing at ECZ.

    • The issue is…..Masumba was fully aware that he had failed the exams (or had not completed them) when he was awarded the certificate(if he did not forge it) hence did not deserve the certificate. Since it was given in error, by his on admission, Masumba should have brought this to the attention of the issuing authority; not take advantage of the mix-up. That is where it is said he took pecuniary advantage. Granted that Masumba’s act was before he was made Deputy Minister, recall that at the time he was crossing the floor, this issue had be highlighted through to the bye elections but the appointing authority ignored it. That is where the integrity of PF and Masumba interwins.

    • sata has a fake degree from Atlantic international university (AIU) as well. that is the one he wanted to use for nominations has the degree clause gone through these are birds of the same feathers

    • Ex-moma is right .Can two people walk together unless they agree? Sata hired a fraudester to be in his cabinet.It shows he is a poor judge of chraracter or perhaps its because birds of the feather flock together.Sata’s acrtions since he became president have shown what a poor choice of a leader he is.Nevers Mumba was clever enough to get rid of Masumba.

    • If birds of the same feathers always flock together, then Jesus wouldnt have apponinted Judas. There are things that are inevitable in life. The fact is that this is an issue between 2 parties, NIPA and Masumba himself. Both are useless on this matter.

    • Imwe what are you talking about. Before I joined PF I was MMD. Why are you now talking bad about PF alone when I had the said qualification even in MMD? Balekeni ba PF. Mulandu ni wanga.

    • True. They say..it takes two to tangle. Someone at NIPA must have facilitated this, unless Masumba went to Matero for the certificates. Investigations must be instituted to find out who it was at NIPA who committed this crime.

    • Someone at NIPA is definitely behind Masumba’s forged Diploma and must be fished out of the water and brought to the court yard to face the Rhumba music. After the music he or she should also go and join Masumba for a disco night in Prison. Zambians are 100% certain Masumba and NIPA knows who this person is .They should do the honourable thing and report this person to the police so that he or she can have disco time at Chimbokaila. Shame on the father of disco. Now UKWA must fire him.

  2. Poor Boy, in the next life just study hard, its not easy but its manageable and people or even crooked people like you can also pass…

  3. Many others have flooded the job market with fake documents.. They should carry out massiv inspections and the truth will be beyond belief..

    • Point of correction and interest at the same time,I think the document in question was not fake maybe we say that say wrongly given .

    • It is bad but not comparable to a death sentence. If he does not appeal he will out of jail in 8 months time. One-third of the sentence will be commuted especially if he behaves well.

  4. How the cookie crumbles, although this no laughing matter young man you took things too far hoping Sata would shield you too bad my dear and while you are at it pray hard so that may be your stay in there can be shortened

    • My appeal is to let him free undress his ministerial suit ,rewrite the failed courses quit the makishi dancing,humble himself,stop playing and continue praying otherwise most these ministers we see around have fake papers.Lastly appeal goes to the investigating wings to probe every ministers’ credentials from the grass roots.

    • @cindy
      There is alot going wrong in Zambia,, am failing to understand that we have a president who is alive in state house!!…. it looks like its free of all no law and order..
      just look at this case.. jailed then released on k10,000 bail… then you a PF cadre case,,, then you have masebo case the government getting an injuction against itself to stop the tribunal from sitting!!!.. we shouldnt even talk about bemba issues,,,
      Prof Chirwa charges are dropped and no reasons given….yaba!!

      awe sure…there is so much going wrong!!!

    • @ Jungle boy,
      It depends what you actually call “many years”, he hasnt been anywhere, doesnt know what real enjoyment is, anyhow, diifferent culture, life and environment i cant blame him.

    • @ Kalok,
      so painfully true I wonder whats going through his mind, I bet he wishes he could turn the hands of time eish If only he had listened to that small inner voice.

    • @ Ndobo,
      Wat? No F****** way! Released already? Shocking really shocking, I didnt have that data my word it’s a f*****king Mafias court yard!

    • No, cindy, no! It’s not a f***king Mafia’s Court Yard. Bail pending appeal is a constitutional right. All one has to show is that there is likelihood of his appea succeeding in the appellate court! In any case, if the appellate court upholds the sentence (which is likely in this case) he goes back to prison to serve the sentence. Like they say, law is a bitch!

  5. Masumba is sentenced,its not going to change anything.
    you are still going to be poor men and women.

    Fact is they cant even give you his job.

  6. He will either receive a Presidential pardon (ba Sata tabwakata insoni) or simply his appeal will be fixed in his favour…Zambians will forget after 3 weeks and he will live happily ever after in either case.

  7. Masumba! A play boy! Hw can u foge a diploma, meanwhile u could ve used umwembeshi or sateite! Two bad boy! Kukosafye! Fisanga abaume!

  8. The long arm of the law will always catch up with the perpetrators of violating the law of the land. Most PF leaders are as bad as Masumba, and even worse off. We commend the Judiciary for the job well done.

    • Masumba is not the first serving minister to be sent to prison, there was Chanda under Chiluba who caused the death of a learned lawyer in which late Levi Patrick Mwanawasa was involved in land corruption for UNZA.
      Then Rev Nyirongo, land minister in Levi Patrick Mwanawasa government was sent to prison due to corruption.

    • @Pio ubufi. Which Mr. Chanda was a Minister under Chiluba? The man you are talking about is the late Edward Chisha, who was Deputy Minister at State House. The daughter of the lawyer who was killed actually lives in the U.S.

    • Mmmmm……@2020 I quote “The daughter of the lawyer who was killed actually lives in the U.S” whats this?? What are you talking about??

    • @pIO, If my memory serves me right, I think the lawyers name was Patrick Zulu. They fought and chanda hammered his friend with a stool on the head and he died. Has my memory wondered in the right direction?

    • @Paolo kindly read @Pio’s comment and you will see why I said what you quoted. I am certainly not dreaming because I know the person and had been to their house in Zambia.

  9. So if the doctor gives me fake ARV’s I should be arrested obtaining pecuniary advantage to suppress herpes, diahaorrea, TB & the like? I thought the person who offers is the one who is wrong. What if Masumba sues NIPA for giving him an erroneously diploma?

    • Go back to your mother’s womb so that she drops you a mature baby not a pre-mature …We do not have enough incubators as your situation is beyond doctors’ comprehension …

    • @ UMWANA
      Fake ARVs would not cure but instead kill you. Masumba was erroneously issued a valid Diploma and he received it with full knowledge he did not deserve it. The magistrate was in order to convict and sentence him.

    • @Umwana morality and integrity place the onus on Masumba to alert the institution of the erroneous issuance of the diploma. That is why the charge included “pecuniary benefit.” Analogously, if a bank erroneously credits funds into your account it is still an offence if you take advantage and use the money, while hoping you are never found out.

    • “UMWANA USH………” Kindly find a better name than the one which expresses insults plz.Much as we appreciate your contribution to the motion respect and maturity in every angle should equally be observed as this will add value to our christian upright nation morals.It is my sincere hope that my piece of advice taken positively and brotherly.

    • So if a doctor wrongly gives you anti-TB drugs for your headache you will take them because they are much more than a few tablets of panadol? It is dangerous because the side effects will be grave.

  10. Clearly this shows that no one is above the law and sheds a light on the calibre of some of the leaders we have in government. How do you expect to see progressive development and good governance in our country if people with fake qualifications are let to run this country.shame on you and how is the outside world thinking of our government now. Poor mother Zambia is being drugged into the mud.

  11. Please let us not politicize this, Mr X! the minister not a year he became PF that means had that certificate when he was in MMD how then can Sata be mentioned in this case? come on, may be you also have a fake one, be objective, Listen carefully from intelligent FLAVA.

    • Imw are Kili. This guy joined PF when he was already facing these charges but cycle mata went ahead to apoint him D.Minister. How can we not mention PF?

  12. He has already been granted bail so possibly the PF higher courts of Zambia will reverse this ruling.
    I take it he is home now?

    • Whether at home or in hell, his name is already in the trash bin, result of being dishonest, truth will always catch up with you no matter how long it takes.

  13. This poor boy has been unfairly treated and there is miscarriage of justice. He didn’t forge the diploma, it was given to him. If NIPA made a mistake, then NIPA surely must pay for it. What guarantee is there that even the course he is said to have failed were not really failed but a mistake on the part of NIPA? Why did they wait for this long to report the matter to police? Why did they mislead the principal of Lusaka Business School that the diploma was rightfully awarded? What are the sanctions against NIPA, an incompetent institution that printed a diploma, and even a person whom they said failed an exam? How many people out there are wit diplomas from NIPA?

    • @ J Mwamba…….Masumba accepted the paper which he did not deserve. Is that not a case? NIPA wrongly gave a paper to some oone who did not deserve it ( a case as wee).

      Its like you get the monies for the equipment that was not supplied by you. Is it not a case?

  14. So Masumba is given Bail coz he is PF?
    So what will happen to his Fake Diploma..will it be confiscated?
    and his Mufumbwe seat nullified?

    • It has to be confiscated as he does not deserve it. He is quiet a dull chap. He wouldn’t have been in such if he had re-sat for those/that paper. By now he would have deserved the paper.

  15. Lipoho za mwa ndende mane kahwelelo ka zona ki namunganga. Muta fo sikayo potolohela silimo Masumba kela cimbamwa mwa pupupu ya bweense twaa! Hakayo zwa mwa tolongo munungu wa hae seli feela inge limbwata, neba nja likokolomba ya hwela ni ku siyala.

  16. Ths shld inspire govt to cleanup the whole country. a lot of these crookes wth big positions ve questionable qualification. let them all bring out their qualifications & u will see that this chap called Masumba is just unluck. MO even those who finish frm these so called universities r awarded marks instead of earning the marks. God will judge

  17. School is not easy my friend. I remember the words of Ernest Beele the then DVC at CBU, ” Degrees are earned and not given”.

    • Where is Prof. Muketoi Beele? Very good lecturer. He taught me Company Law. Very humble man with a rich voice and abundant legal vocabulary. Yabaa! Kwaliba abantu muchalo! Not tu Masumba utu.

    • Hahahaha……@Mulondwe!! Really good one. Even now during the test (CA) they say you earn the marks, they are not given for free. And its really true.Nothing is for freeeee…

  18. okay i want someone to help me understand something here..did masumba forge the certificate or he was mistakenly awarded and never complained about it?and of late i have actually seen companies employing people based only on there tertiary qualifications..i mean doesnt a grade 12 certificate matter anymore?i have seen people getting tertiary qualifications without grade 12 certificates….its a bitter world i presume

  19. If ma bail fyabupuba that rich pipo put in place so as to excape punishment.The id iot must be caged to give a learson to so many crooks in our country.That’s why there is rampat incompetance in all sectors.Even in sensetive sectors like health.

  20. If Masumba was to loose the case i dont think PF would have taken him on as an MP my assumption is that He will appeal and it will go to the high court. In high court he may loose again and he will then win the case at the Supreme court and no one else can appeal after that. If he was to surely be arrested i believe the president would have had him fired by now and would have made a statement either by himself or by George Chella. His lawyer when appealing for leniency he mentioned that his client is a minister, this means its not over yet and his not fired.

  21. I DONT KNOW WHY ALL THESE FUSE IS ALL ABOUT.MASUMBA PERFORMED HIS JOB DELIGENTLY AT LUSAKA TRADES SCHOOL.HE IS COMPETENT ENOUGHT EVEN TO BE A MINISTER OF FINANCE.tO HELL WITH PAPERS WHAT MATTERS IS THE CONTENT IN YOUR MENDULLA OBLAGANTA.YOU SMELL ME?

    • @MM. You are a fool. haven’t you seen the consequence of having unqualified people in government and at state house. You have no shame to even state that he is capable of performing as minister of finance.
      Don’t comfort yourself if you lack tertiary education. Go to UNZA or CBU if you can. Education is not everything but its necessary and it can help you more especially in the area of reasoning.

    • You are all jelous of Mr Masumba’s achivements in life.Leave him alone!!!! Even the magistrate who slapped him the sentence is jelous also.
      you niggaz in zambia will die of jelous.
      jelousness is a serous desease that we need to get rid of in order to develop and move forward.

      you smell me?

  22. ONE THING WHICH WORRIES ME SOME OF U CAN START EDUCATING AND ADVISING VERY WELL THROUGH THIS SITE BUT AT THE END INSULT WILL SURFACE I DONT KNOW WHY.I WONDER HOW U ARE CALLED AND HOW U BEHAVE IN SOCIETIES WHERE U STAY.

  23. NIPA should be serious, i have seen how they print there certificates and diplomas am not shockd tht masumba has managed to forge it

  24. Yes he will appeal to a higher court. He will be living with us like Liato who appealed his 2 hard labour sentence. He is also living with us. Even if the higher court rules against Liato he will have served his 2 year sentence——–

  25. What do you expect to be the contribution to the national develop by people of this standing. Masumba is just a common criminal, who does not deserved to be called Honorable. PF is it true that you have shortage of manpower to have such people serving in your govt? Or is it a system failure to single out wrong seeds like this one….

  26. Masumba’s case is not an isolated one. There are many quacks posing as professionals whose qualification papers were either stolen or were awarded to them on the ‘wako ni wako’ basis without any merit. Some papers were dubiusly manufactured in certain places. I demand a country wide forensic audit in all sectors to establish the authenticity and originality of professiuonal and academic papers that some people have floated to land high positions and earn handsome pays.The investigations should stretch back to pre-school or grade one, through to university extending to masters degree and PHD leves. Those whose work delivery falls below their professional standing should particularly be targeted. Terms of reference in the audit must bring out any exam malpractice or leakage at any level

  27. A Diploma only and in a chikwakwa course? ngamwalimwelelako unless ngali forga a course which involve ama fourier series, nama triple integrals, fluid mechanics etc

  28. The question bordering on integrity is : Why is Masumba , a convicted criminal still holding a government position of a minister ???? Shame.

  29. Sometimes I want to give up on the Zambian judicial system and there comes some judge, or magistrate that inspires me. The picture that is being painted is that the system is full of corruption with the lawyers and judges lining their pockets from rich clients.

    Bravo to the magistrate ! By the way where is his BOSS, the Prez ? No comment , no press conference , NO LEADERSHIP!!

  30. POSSIBLE SCENARIOS: Maybe he got it through continuous assessment. If that were the case, how then was he to know that he shouldn’t have it? Was NIPA a key witness in this case? What statement did NIPA give? The question at the end of the day is; Was the job offered to him on the basis of a diploma HE KNEW he did not deserve? If he thought he had obtained it legitimately, there should be no case. In fact, he should have just kept quiet in court and let the accusers prove that he knew he should not have had that diploma.

  31. This chap knowingly accepted a qualification he was not entitled to from NIPA. He also knew very well that returning the certificate to NIPA was the right action to take but obviously he had other ideas a luck of integrity on his part. If anything, the Police need to re-arrest him on another charge for misleading the Head of State when he took oath as Deputy Minister that he will remain truthful to the President. The chap is a dishonest man something really embarrassing to the government on the calibre of appointees something SATA should try to avoid.

  32. I sense a rat in this judgement. The issue of NIPA having given Masumba the diploma ‘mistakenly’, I think it’s a PF orchestrated plan which they are going to use to appeal and before you know it Masumba will be free and busy doing his acrobatics at cathrine’s next boxing bout. PF knows, if convicted, there is going to be a byelection which they wouldn’t want for if they lost,it would send a bad signal. Hence they have intimidated NIPA management to admit that they gave the document wrongly, this will allow judgement to be rescinded to Masumba’s favor and therefore allowing him to continue as deputy minister.

  33. Steve unfortunately Zambians very are smart now not kaunda days, you will see people condemning Lombe if she put her wait on it or even challenges by institutions like LAZ . Masumba should have apologized a long time than begging for mercy at sentencing worse those judges have no leniency on someone younger like him

  34. sumtimes i get what the bible viewpoint say those that are weaked they are up their while those who are honest ar anguishing in poverty what a prophetic to learn from masumba crooked nigga this goverment hav failed kwati nimwa kaunda working with failures i wonder were we ar going. i think all ar failures.

  35. I think you guys critisizing Steve are not being honest to yourselves.If all people’s certificates were scrutinized do you think we’kll all survive,its not his wish that they made such a mistake of awarding him that diploma

  36. Countrymen, Masumba in the first place denied the allegations, it had to take the last day of conviction for him to seek lenience. Besides, pause to think of the fate of the young students he ‘lectured’, even when he knew at the back of his mind that he did not qualify to lecture but still went ahead to teach them. What kind of foundation were these innocent young souls given at the expense of hard earned collge fees from their hard working parents? Given the foundation Masumba gave to them, will they be able to stand the high academic competition levels in their future persuite Of education?

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