The Matero Local Court has heard a case in which a Catholic landlord sued his Jehovah’s Witness tenant for failure to pay rent for three months. Fredrick Lukwesa, 57, of Lubuto West in Ndola, told the court that his tenant, Samson Kaputo, 50, of Matero East, had failed to pay rent from September 15 to December 15, 2025. Lukwesa said Kaputo repeatedly gave explanations for the non-payment, citing financial difficulties and delays in selling farm produce.
Lukwesa told the court that the house was his only source of income and that the tenant owed K3,000 in rental arrears, with monthly rent set at K1,100. He said the non-payment had affected his ability to provide for his family, especially with schools reopening. The court also heard that Kaputo had previously gone for nine months without paying rent in 2025, only settling the arrears in August after Lukwesa confiscated his vehicle.
Lukwesa said the tenant resumed defaulting a month later, again citing financial challenges. Lukwesa said he had since served Kaputo with a three-month notice to vacate the premises, issued last month and set to expire in March, after becoming frustrated with repeated promises. In his defence, Kaputo told the court that he was surprised by the lawsuit, stating that he had lived in the house since 2003 and had generally been paying rent over the 22 years of his tenancy.
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He explained that his main source of income was farming and that he was waiting for payment from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) after selling maize. Kaputo asked the court for more time to settle the outstanding rent once the FRA payment was made. In his ruling, Magistrate Lewis Mumba ordered Kaputo to vacate the house and pay the outstanding rental arrears. The magistrate noted that Lukwesa had been considerate in issuing a three-month eviction notice despite the prolonged failure by the tenant to pay rent.
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