Vote counting was fast, Tayali’s ballot was discovered in Mulenga’s box, UPND witness tells court
A 60-YEAR-OLD Mapalo Clinic volunteer and United Party for National Development -UPND polling agent, Jester Musalabanya, has told the Ndola High Court that she witnessed no violence at the polling station during the August 13 general elections.
TV Yatu’s #Sanfrossa Mberi reports that, testifying as UPND Ndola Central losing candidate Frank Tayali’s eighth witness, Musalabanya told the court that she was at the polling station throughout the voting process and remained there during the counting, tallying and verification of results.
She submitted that she saw the first respondent (Emmanuel Mulenga) arrive at the polling station, produce a voter’s card and national registration card and cast his vote before leaving.
This is in a matter in which Tayali, 51, a Lawyer by profession is challenging the election of Emmanuel Mulenga of the Resolute Party (RP) as Ndola Central Member of Parliament.
Tayali alleges infringement on campaign freedom, electoral violence and electoral irregularities.
“I just saw the first respondent come in, produced a voter’s card; when he was done with voting he went out and I didn’t see where he went thereafter,” she said.
Musalabanya told the court that she did not witness any violence, either inside or outside the polling station.
“There was no violence I witnessed at the polling station, whether inside or outside the polling station,” she said.
However, when asked about challenges encountered during the process, Musalabanya pointed to the speed at which ballot papers were being counted.
According to her, the rapid counting resulted in one ballot belonging to the petitioner being placed under the first resondent before the mistake was noticed and corrected.
“The ballot was identified and returned to the correct candidate,” she told the court.
The witness also explained why she did not sign the Gen 20 form, a document used in the recording and declaration of polling-station results.
Musalabanya said she could not compare the figures recorded on the form with the figures she had personally written down because she did not see the Gen 20 form.
She told the court that, because she had not seen the form, she could not establish whether the figures eventually recorded on it differed from the figures she had recorded herself.
Mulenga was declared winner with 11,659 votes, while Tayali polled 10,840 votes.
Trial continues.
-TV Yatu | Sanfrossa Mberi | October 3, 2026.