25/09/2026
Lusaka Mayor Mr. Simon Mwewa: A Six-Month Alternative Plan for Lusaka
Zambia Solutions Hub presents a proposed six-month approach to the Lusaka Mayor for consideration and public discussion.
If the Mayor has presented a plan intended to address concerns affecting residents, traders, businesses, and communities across Lusaka, the public deserves an opportunity to understand that plan in full.
Zambia Solutions Hub believes that proposals of this nature should be presented transparently, with clear timelines, supporting details, practical alternatives, and appropriate safeguards. This would allow residents and other affected stakeholders to examine the proposals, raise questions, and provide informed feedback.
Concerns have been raised about the proposed 10-day Phase One, particularly given the potential impact of decisions involving homes, businesses, livelihoods, and families.
Zambia Solutions Hub therefore proposes a different approach: a six-month first phase focused on consultation, verification, planning, preparation, and a carefully managed transition.
Month 1 — Listen and Understand
Begin with meaningful engagement with residents, traders, community leaders, businesses, and other affected groups.
The objective would be to understand the challenges on the ground, document the concerns being raised, and establish a clear picture of the people, businesses, households, and livelihoods that could be affected by the proposed changes.
Month 2 — Register and Verify
Develop a comprehensive database of affected people and businesses.
This would involve verifying who is operating where, identifying the nature of different businesses and activities, and determining which households and individuals depend on those activities as their primary or significant source of income.
Particular attention should also be given to vulnerable households and people who may require additional support during any transition.
Month 3 — Design the Alternatives
Identify suitable alternative locations and develop practical options for affected traders and businesses.
This stage should consider the infrastructure and services required for viable alternatives, including sanitation, transportation, security, accessibility, water, electricity, and other essential facilities.
The objective should be to ensure that alternatives are properly planned before any relocation or transition begins.
Month 4 — Consult and Adjust
Present the proposed alternatives to the affected communities and allow stakeholders to provide feedback.
This stage would provide an opportunity to hear objections, answer questions, identify potential problems, and make necessary adjustments.
A plan should be able to respond to information gathered from the people it is intended to affect.
Month 5 — Prepare the Transition
Once the proposed approach has been refined, provide affected people with clear information about the transition.
This should include timelines, locations, procedures, requirements, available support, and other relevant details.
The necessary infrastructure should also be completed or sufficiently prepared so that people are not moved into alternatives that are not ready to support their businesses and livelihoods.
Month 6 — Transition Carefully
Begin the transition in stages rather than attempting to implement everything at once.
The process should be monitored closely to identify challenges and address them as they arise.
Where people depend on affected activities for their income, the transition should take into account how they will continue earning a living and accessing their customers.
This approach would allow authorities and stakeholders to assess each stage of the process before proceeding further.
The Need for Transparency
The issue is not simply whether a plan exists. The public needs to understand what the plan contains, how it will be implemented, what resources will be required, and what safeguards will be put in place for affected people.
Zambia Solutions Hub is therefore calling for the full details of the proposed plan to be made available to the public.
Publish the timelines.
Show the budgets.
Explain the proposed alternatives.
Outline the safeguards.
Provide the implementation procedures.
Answer the questions being raised by residents, traders, businesses, and other affected stakeholders.
People should have the opportunity to examine the evidence, understand the proposed changes, compare the available approaches, and raise legitimate concerns before decisions affecting their homes, businesses, and livelihoods are implemented.
A Call for a Structured Approach
Ten days should not be the focus of the discussion simply because it is a stated timeline. Likewise, six months should not be presented as an automatic solution simply because it is longer.
The important question is what will actually be achieved during that period.
A meaningful six-month process should produce documented consultations, verified information, practical alternatives, prepared infrastructure, clear communication, and a structured transition.
Ultimately, the objective should be to address the challenges facing Lusaka while taking into account the people whose lives and livelihoods may be affected by the process.
Zambia Solutions Hub is therefore putting forward this six-month approach for consideration and public discussion.
The proposal is simple: show the plan, explain the details, listen to the people, and allow the evidence to guide the process.
Zambia Solutions Hub
