The Lusaka City Council has closed down 46 boarding houses around the city for operating illegally and in poor sanitary conditions.
LCC Public Health Inspectors have embarked on inspection of boarding houses in different parts of Lusaka to check on conditions in which they are operating.
The inspections have revealed that most boarding facilities that house students from various learning institutions do not have relevant documents needed to operate as boarding houses.
The documents include Health Permits, Business Permits, Fire Certificates and evidence of subscription to waste management systems.
At the time of inspections, most houses were also in poor sanitary conditions and some of them had dilapidated sanitary facilities.
According to Statutory Instrument number 12 of 2018 (Street Vending and nuisances), Local Government (Solid Waste Management) Regulation 100 of 2011 and the Public Health Act CAP 295 of the Laws of Zambia, it is an offence to operate a boarding house without the above stated documents.
George Sichimba, the Council Public Relations Manager said in a statement that the LCC has embarked on this exercise not to punish students but to protect them from contracting air and water borne diseases.
Mr. Sichimba noted that due to high demand for bed spaces by students from higher learning institutions, some unscrupulous people are converting their properties into boarding houses and renting them out to unsuspecting students without following procedure.
He said the owners of the boarding houses have been instructed to obtain the necessary documentation the Council and maintain hygiene standards failure to which they risk being prosecuted.
Mr. Sichimba has since warned those involved in similar businesses to ensure that they comply with the law to avoid inconveniences while students must report nuisances happening in their boarding houses to Council.
An impossible task. Pretty sure the landlords will find away of doing it – inspire of the closures.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
It’s been over a year since I strongly agreed with @Mushota.
@Nkana – even me, I was even beginning to question if this is the real Mushota or a fake one, – the real one usually ends with “I have a PHD”
I have a PHD. Why forget that. Are you a fake Mushota.
Disaster!
Most students came up with the idea of renting boarding houses, because universities and colleges are failing to take them all into boarding, what happens to students
who were staying in the closed boarding houses, they will become squatterers in legal boarding houses, and the council’s work done will be equal to zero
And you have childish Sampa posting that he is not the one who has ordered stores to be demolished but PF officials at Local Govt….I told people right here that voting for a PF candidate would be a non starter.
one would imagine that the learning institutions themselves would take an interest in vetting the boarding houses?? or maybe not??
And there are so many modular multi storey construction options for student accommodation that can be built within 8 weeks tops
@4.1 Jay Jay, SPOT ON, Building technology has advance, so some of these shanties near learning institutions should be acquired to allow LOCAL INVESTORS put up boarding facilities for students!!
zambiaisours – the only problem is there is no reliable funding for students for the investors to get a a return on investment this is why students opt for these cheap boarding facilities…the govt has to step up and offer incentives to property developers like you said move those in shanties to alternative accommodation.
I believe the council has also built new hostels or boarding facilities. Council take keen interest to inspect even all higher learning institutions hostels to check if air nd water borne diseases, am pretty sure all hostels will be closed as well.
The problem is also with the users!They very careless, visit UNZA,CBU residential halls.I bet you you will fail to eat your meal especially after visiting thier toilets.
What do you expect if Facilities Management Dept is non existent…last time I saw a photo of student mopping the floors as the toilets had overfilled and the student pushing the water out of the halls.
Indeed why don’t the LCC take it upon themselves and build such facilities near Universities, colleges etc including, car parks and RAKE in the much needed Kwachas from rentals for even more infrastructure developments? I have said it before and let me say it for the last time! Please plan ahead, pay CASH to those boys/girls begging on roads, ask them to be bringing 50kg of RUBBISH to you every day and within no time; there shall be no CHORELLA in Lusaka, simple as 1+1
Not good idea pal, that’s encouraging child labour and abuse.
Without sounding to condone wrong-doing, we need to interrogate the whole process of obtaining permits in this country vis a vis the high cost of initial startups!
How much are the permits?
It has always been said that the cost of doing business in Zambia is depressingly high! There was news recently where some council workers were suspended for issuing fake licenses!
Could the high cost of initial documentation and permits be one of the contributing factors for non-compliance? Could the startup up cost be the stumbling block? Is the whole system too rotten? Why has the Public Health Unit just woken up? Was it in a deep coma? This country is truly depressing! For example, how do you explain the Subdivision charge increase from K499 to K5,000 by the council Clerk? Crazy! We need to…
We need to also audit council charges to encourage compliance!
It is long overdue, let them be sorted out
There are 1000s of rooms of Boarding space in the unfinished hostels at UNZA. Rather than wait for GRZ to give them a Grant, management at UNZA should form an independent company to borrow locally from banks and finish the hostels. It is clearly a Bankable opportunity so long they charge the same rates as the private boarding houses. They should aim to break even or make a profit but this non-sense of not paying commensurate rentals should not be entertained because students in private boarding houses have shown that despite hardships, they are willing to invest in education.
Only in Zambia; when you require a permit to rent a house?!
It’s the tenant’s responsibility to keep the house clean!
Accommodation in the public institutes is worse than these boarding Houses
Zambia what’s wrong with you are you inviting cholera again with your poor sanitation? OMG i see we never learned .
this is the great move, it is important to take care of people’s lives before things get to worsening. good LCC!!! for the great job done.
Comment:it’s a good thing,we should first learn to consider student’s health prevention is better than cure ?
PLEASE OPEN THE BOARDING HOUSES MANY SUGAR DADDIES HAVE TUMA YOUNG ONES IN THE SAME BOARDING HOUSES MANJE AFTER CLOSING THE SUGAR DADDY WILL BE PAYING MORE CASH TO RENT HER KA PLACE ALONE
But even UNZA, CBU, Evelyn Hone the situation is the same. And the council is dead scared to say anything over their pathetic surroundings and hostels. These are the worst and dirtiest parts of the country.
Council where is the free internet/ wifi. Mr Mandevu (Km some one) promised and we are waiting. Dont just concentrate on other peoples houses.
Disaster!!!