A Ndola-based woman, Mercy Cowham, who claims that a Zambian member of parliament, Bowman Lusambo, is the biological father of her four children, has expressed concerns that a DNA test intended to establish paternity could be tampered with unless closely supervised by the court.
Cowham made this known in an affidavit filed before the Lusaka High Court in support of Lusambo’s application seeking an order for DNA testing of the children. While she said she did not oppose the request for a paternity test, she raised serious reservations about the safety and integrity of the DNA samples and the testing process.
According to *Zambia Observer*, Cowham stated that the intense media attention surrounding the case and the number of parties with vested interests in the outcome created a high risk of interference with the samples.
“In the premises, to ensure protection of DNA samples and the entire DNA testing process, I am of the view that the same should be a court-supervised DNA test where neither myself nor the plaintiff will know the laboratory chosen to conduct the DNA test, except the court, and the results will only be communicated directly to the court,” she said.
She added that she was fully agreeable to undergoing the paternity test, noting that it would help establish the truth regarding the children’s fatherhood. Cowham also indicated her willingness to contribute to the cost of the DNA test, stating that the court could determine the expenses once it appoints the laboratory or institution to conduct the test.
Cowham further disputed claims that Lusambo did not know her, insisting that they had maintained a long-standing relationship. She said they had been involved in an on-and-off sexual relationship since 2014, during which period the four children were conceived.
“I have been in an on and off sexual relationship with the plaintiff from 2014 to date and it was during this time that the four children I have with the plaintiff were conceived,” she stated.
According to her affidavit, the pair frequently met at Ngweshi Lodge in Ndola, and in 2017 Lusambo allegedly rented accommodation for her in the Kansenshi and Ndeke areas of the city, where he occasionally visited her.
Lusambo had, last month, filed his own affidavit in support of the application for a DNA test, arguing that genetic testing was the only reliable means of determining the paternity of the children. He urged the court to grant the order in the interest of justice.
