Minister suspended for 1 month after slapping MP on the floor of Parliament

Andreas Kamasah 14:38 - 21 March 2018

Speaker of the Zambian parliament, Patrick Matibini who pronounced the suspension on Tuesday, declared Bowman Lusambo who apparently doubles as the Lusaka Province Minister persona non grata for the one month period.

The Parliament of Zambia has suspended one of its own members from taking part in parliamentary proceedings after he slapped a colleague member on the floor of the house in October last year.

Bowman Lusambo reportedly visited the hostile act on an outspoken lawmaker Chishimba Kambwili last year which leadership of the legislative body thought was not only embarrassing, but also disrespectful to the house and brings its name into disrepute.

It is not clear what exactly the errant lawmaker stands to lose for the suspension, but his case is not unprecedented when it comes to the Zambian Parliament.

Last year for instance, 48 opposition members of the house also suffered the same fate as they were banned from the parliament and did not take part in legislative processes for one month, after they had boycotted a speech delivered by the country’s president, Edgar Lungu.