Bruce Kanema v Kawina Poho and the Electoral Commission of Zambia

The petition concerns the Solwezi Central Constituency parliamentary election held on 13 August 2026, in which Kawina Poho was declared the winner on 16 August 2026 with 12,225 votes, while Bruce Kanema received 11,521 votes. The petitioner, who contested the election as the UPND candidate, challenges the validity of the election on grounds of alleged electoral malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Process Act. The allegations include failure to provide polling agents with GEN 20 results forms, discrepancies between polling agents' recorded results and the results recorded by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, irregularities in the handling and verification of results, and alleged interference with the counting and aggregation process. The petitioner also alleges irregularities involving results from Tunvwanganayi Primary School and Tunvwanganayi Evangelical Church, as well as alleged removal of a ballot box and introduction of pre-marked ballot papers. The petitioner alleges that the irregularities affected the final result, which was decided by a margin of 704 votes. He therefore seeks, among other reliefs, a declaration that Kawina Poho's election is null and void, a declaration that he was duly elected, and an order for a recount of the votes. Current Status: The matter is still ongoing before the court.