In 1995 Simutowe won the nation's under-21 championship and took fifth place at the African Junior Championship. In 1996 he won the Zambian Chess Championship as well as the Zambian Junior National Championship. When reflecting upon his results in 1996, Amon stated "I didn't expect to win this tournament... I was just interested in qualifying for the Olympiad." He qualified but the Zambian National team was unable to compete in the Olympiads. In 1997 Simutowe won the African Junior Chess Championship.