Musician Mumba Yachi has pleaded not guilty to three charges relating to his nationality and unlawful stay in Zambia.

And Lusaka magistrate Ruth Kapulo has reserved the bail ruling to tomorrow, Friday September 8, 2017.

When the case came up today, Mumba, whose real names are Shadrick Chite Mukenge, said he understood the allegations but denied them.

In the first count it is alleged that Mumba alias Shadrick Mumba a Congolese national did enter Zambia through Mokambo border post control and continued to stay unlawfully in the country without a valid permit or authority from the immigration department which offence happened between January 1, 2007 and August 28, 2017.

The accused is in the second count between January 1, 2015 and March 6, 2015 alleged to have willfullyand with intent to deceive for the purpose of obtaining a Zambian green national registration card No 40573/10/1, gave false information to a public officer that his father and mother were Zambian citizens when in fact not.

He is also alleged to have willfully and with intent to deceive and for the purposes of obtaining a Zambian passport No ZN550035 made a false statement to a passport officer that his father and mother were Zambian citizens when in fact not between March 2015 August 3, 2016.

His lawyer, Eddie Mwitwa, applied for bail pending trial which application a public prosecutor Brian Sianyengo did not object to but gave a condition that the accused obtains a temporal permit for his stay in Zambia until the case is disposed off.

Mwitwa said the provisions of the act upon which Mumba has been charged did not preclude the court from admitting the accused to bail.

The magistrate reserved the ruling on bail application to Friday.

Zambia Association of Musicians president Njoya Tembo and other artists turned up to offer him solidarity.