Claim
On 20th June 2022, Diamond TV published a post claiming that the Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation had not concluded the process of repatriating the remains of Sampa Mwenya, a Zambian student who died in China on 30th April 2022 despite making commitment to the family. This raised a lot of concerns from the public because in May 2022, the Government through various media houses stated that they had released $20,000 to repatriate the body from China to Zambia. Concerned members of the public wondered what caused the delay.
Rating Justification
The fact checking process has establised as true that the Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation had not yet concluded on the process of repatriating the remains of Sampa Mwenyah. iVerify has establised that the delay in repatriation of the remains was due to Government Bureaucracy and Covid 19 guidelines.
Through a phone interview, Mr. Morgan Mwenya, father of Sampa Mwenya, explained to iVerify that despite the Government not offering financial assistance to families of deceased students who were on self-sponsorship and died abroad, the Government assisted the family in the repatriation of the body from China to Kapiri Mposhi, Central Province in Zambia. The family was notified on the process of repatriation of the body through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The Ministry also explained to the family that the delay on the repatriation of the remains of the son was due to Government Bureaucracy.
On 21st June 2022, iVerify wrote a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to seek clarity on whether the Ministry issued any Press Statement on the matter, which could be the source of the information in the story and the status of the repatriation process.
On 27th June 2022, Chembo F. Mbula, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Acting Permanent Secretary responded to the query. He explained that the Ministry has not issued any Press Release to the media on the demise of Sampa Mwenya. However, the Ministry participated in media interviews to address questions on the preparatory process of the repatriation. The Ministry explained that the body of Sampa Mwenya arrived in Zambia on 26th June 2022 at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.
