By 
The legal dispute over the late President, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa’s retirement home has reached a new resolution.
The University of Lusaka Limited (UNILUS) and the State have agreed to prevent the sale of the retirement house.
Instead, UNILUS would be compensated with 18 hectares of land in the Airport area of Chongwe district.
This agreement, formalised in a consent judgment on August 13, 2024, by Lusaka High Court Judge Ruth Chibbabbuka, stipulated that the government, through Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, would transfer land from proposed subdivision F of farm 4169, off Airport Road, Chongwe, to UNILUS.
This land, approximately 18 hectares in size, would replace the original 25.31-hectare property, Lot No. 24802/M.
As part of the agreement, UNILUS would withdraw all claims related to the retirement house and cease any further legal action.
UNILUS had previously filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of a caveat on the property, which they purchased from Ms. Esther Chipasi and Mr. Mustapha Kwabena Osuman for US$2,190,000.
The property was sold to cover a K2 million loan allegedly defaulted by the late former First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa.
UNILUS registrar Kawanga Kapalayi stated in an affidavit that the purchase of the property was a private transaction and had received the necessary presidential consent.
The property was bought from Chipasi and Osuman on February 27, 2023. Kapalayi indicated that since then, UNILUS had been a tenant with a lease term of 99 years from May 1, 2012.
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He also mentioned that the Attorney General’s Office had supported the transfer of ownership and issued a title certificate.
However, Kapalayi expressed shock when a caveat was placed on the property on April 28, 2023. Despite a demand letter sent to the Attorney General on May 19, 2023, the situation remained unchanged as of May 30, 2023.
In a separate legal action, UNILUS sought possession of the property, claiming it had been purchased for US$2,190,000.
Attorney General Kabesha contested this claim, arguing that the property was still under state control due to ongoing construction and was protected by the Former Presidents Act, Chapter 15 of the Laws of Zambia.
He demanded strict proof of all evidence related to the transaction, asserting that the property could not be dealt with until the state completed the house and officially handed it over to the late President’s family.
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