TikToker ‘Why Me’ convicted of hate speech in Lusaka Court

TikToker Francis Kapwepwe, widely known by his online moniker “Why Me,” has been convicted by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two counts of hate speech. The conviction follows proceedings before Lusaka Principal Resident Magistrate Idah Phiri, where Kapwepwe changed his plea during continued hearing of the matter. The State informed the court that the original indictment, which contained three counts, had been amended, with one count subsequently withdrawn.

Kapwepwe applied to take a fresh plea, after which he admitted guilt to the remaining two counts of hate speech. “The State informed the court that the original indictment, which contained three counts, had been amended, with one count subsequently withdrawn,” the court heard. The court subsequently entered a conviction following his admission.

According to the charge sheet, one of the offences was contrary to Section 65 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021. In the second count, the State alleged that on April 3, 2025, Kapwepwe used a computer system through his TikTok page, “Why Me the Lion of the World,” to publish statements deemed to constitute hate speech against people from Southern Province.

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“The prosecution alleged that Kapwepwe claimed that the President intended to install ‘his fellow Tonga Chi Mukuni as a king,’ while disregarding the country’s four senior chiefs, and further suggested that Southern Province should separate from Zambia and be given another name,” the charge sheet stated. The prosecution told the court that the statements were issued knowingly and without lawful excuse through a computer system, contrary to the law. Kapwepwe admitted before the court that he had no lawful justification for the statements attributed to him.

After the guilty plea was recorded, Magistrate Phiri convicted him on both counts and adjourned the matter to May 26, 2026, for sentencing. “Kapwepwe admitted before the court that he had no lawful justification for the statements attributed to him,” the court record showed. The court was informed that he is a second offender, having been sentenced in February 2025 on a similar offence by the Livingstone magistrate court.

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