Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa has clarified that the Lusaka City Council is not targeting Hybrid Poultry Farming after the Council ordered the removal of a huge Chicken Statue on Great East Road.
Mr Sampa said Hybrid Poultry is out of contract for the traffic circle in question but that the Council will be happy to approve renewal if they move the chicken out to the Hybrid turn-off and place a 0.5 metre-high advertisement inside.
He said a team from LCC is on the ground planning an earnest transformation of all traffic circles in Lusaka as quickly as possible.
“This move is, therefore, not targeted at any individual corporate institution or business. We believe that the responsibility of keeping Lusaka City tidy and beautiful falls on all of us,” Mr Sampa said in a statement.
Below is the full statement
PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
Lusaka, February 26, 2019:
As Mayor of Lusaka, I have noted with great interest the ongoing debate on social media arising from the local authority’s decision to request Hybrid Poultry Farming to remove the Chicken Statue from the Chainama Traffic Circle (commonly known as Roundabout).
I have received and value many submissions in support or against, and some indeed quite humorous. Some claim they will now start failing to locate their homes as the Chicken gives them vectors or acts as direction indicator after a late night visits to beer halls. Other submissions are of sentimental nature while others are nonchalant towards the Chicken. I am therefore compelled to address the concerns.
As indicated in the letter to Hybrid Poultry Farm dated February 25, 2019, the current policy of the Lusaka City Council on all Traffic Circles is to have them simple, green with grass with a fountain or national hero statue in the middle. Going by this policy, what we currently have at the Hybrid Traffic Circle falls short of this description and negates the efforts of the local authority to turn Lusaka into a Garden City.
Several considerations were made after consultations within the local authority before arriving at the decision and among the reasons for this request include:
1. Motorist obstruction
2. LCC’s policy of “No advertisement inside but outside traffic circle”
3. Only fountains, a palm tree or National Hero statue inside traffic circle
4. Inside adverts need to be 0.5 metres maximum to avoid obstructing traffic
What our dear residents of Lusaka must be aware of is that other companies such as banks have sponsored maintenance of most traffic circles in Lusaka but none of them have put their advertisements inside these facilities, except Hybrid.
Additionally, Hybrid Poultry is out of contract for the traffic circle in question but we will be happy to approve renewal if they move the chicken out to the Hybrid turn-off and place a 0.5 metre-high advertisement inside.
Our team is on the ground planning an earnest transformation of all traffic circles in Lusaka as quickly as possible. This move is, therefore, not targeted at any individual corporate institution or business. We believe that the responsibility of keeping Lusaka City tidy and beautiful falls on all of us.
The Lusaka City Council, and my office in particular, is determined to work with all residents, companies and other citizens in turning the capital city a model for cleanliness and beauty as envisioned by our President, His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Let us work together to turn Lusaka into one of the most beautiful cities in Africa and the world at large!
Miles B. Sampa
Mayor of Lusaka
That thing is just ugly. Come up wwith a better chicken. PERIOD
Go to Evelyn hone college and run a competition among ART students
Ichalo bapata abantu bamwena ku nkoko.
And why are your campaign BILLBOARDS still littered all over the city??? Mwankalako na nsoni pilizi. That chicken is an attraction for children. The roundabouts in the CBD are an eye sore!
I thought all is Bill boards were removed after he misbehaved last time…kikik
I think there are more serious areas where council can direct its energy than following up on this issue. To me Hybrid has done a good job by adopting the roundabout and its among the well managed facilities around. What have you as the council done about Kafue and Kabwe roundabouts?
If you have travelled to cities of the world you will believe that statue in ugly. Umwana tenda atasha nyina.
You can do a 3D virtual image using 3 D technology to create a statue
1. Motorist Obstruction
Come on Mailesi, why not start with the actual objects that obstruct motorists? If you are coming from Acacia Road in Avondale and you want to join Great East Road, it’s very difficult to join as the junction is littered with dirty billboards. These billboards MUST be removed.
Lusaka is littered with Miles Sapa’s billboards. #SaveTheChiken and let remove all green Billboards littering Lusaka.
I saw this coming.See Mr Mayor this is called wasting time.You are diverting the council’s attention from more deserving areas like cleaning up the “traffic circle” that is 1 km from your office.Thankyou for your so called rules but are they cast in stone?How does that chicken just become your top priority?Again one wonders do you have subordinates?Surely in this dirty city choked with garbage all you can come up with is removal of the chicken?
For those talking about statutes in other countries please remember you are in Zambia,dont expect the standards of Sandton,repeat this is Zambia where not too long ago Americans where teaching people how to use toilets.That chicken is just ok by Zambian standards
There are so many sore spots to see in Lusaka. One can only think of an innocent chikwi? Pilizi pilizi lets all start learning to a bit more like some serious kind of people.
Ilyashi lya nkoko na Miles. Personally I don’t care much what happens to that chicken. What worries me is the total disregard of the law by motorists who like using their handheld phones while driving. They are irresponsible and a grave danger to other motorists. Miles should work with RTSA to clean the city of these careless adults. The same should be done to the other group who like driving on the wrong side of the road during traffic jams. RTSA can make millions from these thugs.
THAT THING TAKE BACK BEFORE ZAMBIA GOT INDEPENDASE KINDLY TAKE OUT AND COME UP WITH SOME NICE WHICH WILL MAKE THE CITY LOOKS BEAUTIFULL
Hybrid Poultry Farming adopted has been maintaining the roundabout ever since they adopted it. Every form of CSR comes with advertising. LCC has 3 roundabouts all in a less 10 minute drive, and they make Lusaka look like a slum and not a city. LCC already has enough on its plate; uncollected garbage continuously piles everyday and they want to manage even more public space? Where is LCC going to get more funds to manage that roundabout, when already they have failed to manage Kafue roundabout, Kabwe roundabout and court complex double roundabout?
Let those who can, do.
That chicken is national hero so leave it alone.