By GRACE CHAILE
THE Lusaka High Court has ordered for a DNA test to be conducted on Mercy Cowham’s four children to ascertain if former Lusaka Province minister ,Bowman Lusambo is their father as she claimed.
This is a matter in which Lusambo in 2021 sued Ms Cowham in the Lusaka High Court seeking damages for libel, an apology and an order for a DNA test to be conducted on her children to ascertain their paternity. Daily Nation Zambia
Mr Lusambo applied to the Court for an order to conduct a paternity test on the four children alleged to have been fathered by him saying he never engaged in any sexual activity with their mother, Ms Cowham.
Mr Lusambo contended that the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test was the only way to prove the truth. Daily Nation Zambia
The four children were born between 2015 and 2021.
“That I have never been engaged in any form of sexual activity with the defendant, whatsoever. That I believe that a DNA test will be the only sure way to determine the paternity of the defendant’s four children,” he said. Daily Nation Zambia
Mr Lusambo said that Ms Cowham would not be prejudiced in away if the court issued an order but it will be done in the interest of justice.
Ms Cowham agreed to the request of a DNA test and stated that there was no malice in her stating that the former PF Kabushi Member of Parliament was the father of her children when in the past, he never disputed paternity of the children and even supported them.
Daily Nation Zambia
She stated that the video in which she made the said revelations was not meant to excite the public but the words were based on fair comment and the truth. .
The defendant added that the duo were in an on and off sexual relationship which ended this year.
Daily Nation Zambia
In a ruling on the application, Judge Mwila Kombe ordered for the paternity test to be conducted on the children so as to ascertain their affiliation and family status.
“For the reasons I have highlighted,in the exercise of my discretion,I make an order for a paternity test and taking of blood samples.For the avoidance of any doubt ,I direct that the blood samples be taken from the defendant’s four children,” she ordered.
Daily Nation Zambia