LUSAKA — Mayor Chitambala Mwewa has moved quickly to make cleanliness, order and better management of public spaces the defining priorities of his administration, with his early interventions already drawing attention across the capital.
Mwewa made cleanliness his first priority after being elected, declaring that Lusaka had considerable work to do and that the clean-up had to start immediately.
Within weeks, the mayor has taken a hands-on approach to the challenge, including efforts to address street vending and restore order to busy parts of the city.
During a recent tour of City Market, Mwewa urged street vendors to cooperate with plans to move trading activities into designated markets.
The initiative is aimed at reducing congestion and restoring order and cleanliness on pavements and other public spaces.
The approach has given the Lusaka mayoralty a highly visible presence on the streets, with Mwewa personally engaging traders and residents over some of the problems affecting the capital.
His emphasis on cleanliness comes at a time when Lusaka continues to face significant challenges involving waste disposal, blocked drainage systems, informal trading and pressure on public infrastructure.
Mwewa has also linked cleanliness to flood prevention. The Lusaka City Council has secured K40 million through the National Disaster Risk Management Division to strengthen drainage infrastructure in vulnerable parts of the city.
According to Mwewa, expanding drainage infrastructure is central to his vision of a safer, cleaner and more resilient Lusaka. He has also called on residents to stop disposing of rubbish in drains, warning that indiscriminate dumping undermines drainage systems and increases the risk of flooding.
The mayor’s clean-up agenda has also received support from initiatives outside the council. Lusaka365, for example, has announced an Independence Avenue Heritage Walk that will include a clean-up and tree-planting exercise, an initiative endorsed by Mwewa.
The emerging picture is therefore of a mayor attempting to tackle Lusaka’s problems from several fronts, combining physical cleanliness with better regulation of public spaces, improved drainage and greater civic participation.
Mwewa’s approach has also generated considerable discussion among Lusaka residents on social media. Supporters have praised his visibility and willingness to engage directly with problems on the ground, while others have cautioned that the capital is much larger than individual markets or central business areas.
That observation points to the central challenge facing the new administration. Cleaning up selected areas is one thing; maintaining cleanliness across the entire city is another.
For the clean-up campaign to have a lasting impact, the council will need to sustain waste collection, enforce regulations consistently, improve drainage, manage markets effectively and work with residents to discourage illegal dumping.
The responsibility also extends to Lusaka residents themselves. A clean city cannot be achieved by the council alone. Traders, motorists, businesses and households all have a role in maintaining public spaces and disposing of waste responsibly.
For now, however, Mwewa has placed cleanliness at the centre of the Lusaka conversation and has demonstrated a willingness to take the issue directly to the streets.
The coming months will determine whether the early momentum can be transformed into a sustained city-wide programme.
But one message from the new mayor is already clear: Lusaka’s clean-up has begun.
By Kelvin Chisanga
Picture: Lusaka town centre