Joseph Chishimba Put on Defence on allegations of Chipo Mwanawasa pregnancy
By Kalemba
A MAN of Lusaka’s Jack Compound will from January 15, 2026 have the daunting task of publicly proving his claims that President Hakainde Hichilema had made his young aid, Chipo Mwanawasa pregnant.
Joseph Chishimba is before the Lusaka Magistrates Court, charged with one count of publication of false information contrary to Section 54 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021.
The 49-year old’s legal troubles began when authorities’ fingers pointed towards him as one of the people who were allegedly
spreading information that President Hichilema had impregnated Chipo.
After weeks of trial, Principal Resident Magistrate Idah Phiri found Chishimba with a case to answer, meaning, he will have to prove his claims or dance legal pelete.
“I have carefully examined the evidence before court and I find that a prima facie case has been made out against the accused. I accordingly place him on his defence,” Magistrate Phiri said.
Chishimba’s lawyer, Kelvin Fube who is also president of oppositon party Zambia Must Prosper, informed the court that his client would remain silent in his defence and call one witness when court reconvenes on January 15, 2025.
Chipo, 36, who serves as a senior adviser to the President, in her testimony, told the court that the rumours caused deep embarrassment to her family and the Presidency, particularly because she is daughter of the late President Levy Mwanawasa.
She narrated that on September 30, while on duty in Greece, she received a call alerting her to claims circulating online. When she checked her WhatsApp, she found an email implicating her in a supposed pregnancy at State House.
“I dismissed it as rubbish,” she said, adding that she had not anticipated “the extent of the fire” the rumours would cause.
Two days later, upon returning to Zambia, she found the story still trending. Concerned relatives called for a family meeting at her late mother’s house – barely weeks after the funeral.
Her aunt Charity Kakubo Nyirenda, Diana Mambwe and uncle Patson Kakubo expressed anger and distress after seeing viral posts, including one resembling a brown envelope marked “Summons to Mr Hakainde Hichilema, Chibombo Local Court – 11 October 2024.”
The material had been circulated by pages such as Munyaule Zambia and Dear Zambia with sensational headlines claiming the President had been sued for allegedly impregnating her.
Chipo said the allegations brought shame not only upon her and the Mwanawasa family name, but also upon the Presidency, the President’s family, and the country as a whole.
She emphasised that no such relationship had ever existed.
One screenshot, she said, was from a Facebook account belonging to a “Hon. Charles Kakula”, claiming she was his ex-girlfriend and had been impregnated by “a man at State House (Plot 1).”
The post referred to an “uncle Chofwa Monde” who had allegedly reported the matter to Chibombo Local Court, a person she said did not exist in her family.
She told the court the ordeal caused her trauma, harassment and reputational damage, noting that she had worked hard to build a respectable public profile and serve as a role model to young women.
Kalemba December 11, 2025