Brenda Muntemba

Owing to the fact that her father, Bradley Chesters Muntemba was a police officer, Muntemba and her two sisters, Hazel and Priscilla, attended many primary schools around Zambia, i.e., Northrise in Ndola, Lotus and Northmead and Jacaranda in Lusaka, Hillside in Chipata, and Livingstone Primary in Livingstone. She, however, attended Roma Girls Secondary School, between 1982–1987 and graduated with a bachelor of arts (French major and Economics minor) from the University of Zambia in July 1993. She then proceeded to obtain a specialised masters in translation (French into English) from Marc Bloch University, Strasbourg, France in 2001. Muntemba also undertook leadership training under the United States government ‘Leadership Exchange Programme,’ and the British Council ‘Making a difference Leadership Programme,’ offered to government leaders. She held a certificate in Copyright and Related rights under the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

When President Michael Sata, Zambia’s 5th Republican President, was elected into office, he took great steps in putting women in positions of authority. Therefore, Muntemba was appointed Police Commissioner, Southern Province in 2011 alongside five other senior police women commissioners. In 2012, Ms. Muntemba went back to police headquarters as Commissioner Operations. Her stay as Commissioner Operations was short-lived, as she was transferred to Cabinet Office following politically motivated misgivings. During this time, the Cabinet Office assigned her to the Ministry of Education as Zambia’s Chief Programmes Officer for UNESCO (July 2013 – Feb 2015), a position that constantly took her back to her country of language training, France. On 2 February 2015, His Excellency President Edgar Lungu appointed her into foreign service, subsequently retiring her from the Zambia Police Service. Muntemba took her oath of office for the role on the 22nd of April 2015, as President Lungu inducted her as the High Commissioner to Kenya. Her first oath was taken in August 1996 as Assistant Supertintendent, the second in October 2011, as Commissioner of Police, and latterly the third as High Commissioner.[5]

Muntemba was born in Kitwe, to parents Bradley Chesters Muntemba and Hilary Mulenga. Bradley was an officer in the Zambia Police Service, having joined as a direct-entry cadet sub inspector in 1967, and died as assistant commissioner of police, commanding officer, central province of Zambia at the age of 48 years old.

Hilary served the community in various capacities. She served twice the Republic of Zambia as a Constitution Review Commissioner during the Mung’omba and Mwanakatwe Constitution Review Commissions, was one of the founding members of the Women’s Lobby Group in Zambia, as well as the Business and Professional Women’s Association.

Muntemba married Reverend Sulanji Andrew Sichilembe on 27 October 2006, at Lusaka’s Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross. She was later ordained as a pastor on 30 December 2012, by Apostle Gift Ntitima at the under Jesus is Life Church, Lusaka.[6] They had a daughter, Lukundo Mirriam Nachilembe.[7]

Muntemba was involved in a head-on road collision on 26 February 2019 and was admitted to hospital where she died on 19 March 2019.[8] She was 48.