Students at the University of Zambia Great East road campus on Monday morning staged a protest demanding improved sanitation and water supply at the institution.
The students blocked the Great East Road with stones and logs to show displeasure at the lack of water at the institution.
The students complained that the institution has has no water since Friday last week, and that nothing has been done to correct the situation.
The students also complained that they have been experiencing water problems since last year and yet nothing has been done to improve the situation.
Armed police led by Lusaka Province Deputy Commanding Officer Bonnie Kapeso rushed to the main campus to calm the situation.
The students have since boycotted classes until the water situation normalizes.
And UNZA Union President Vincent Chaile says 14 billion Kwacha is needed to improve water reticulation at the institution.
Mr Chaile says students are disappointed that nothing is being done to improve water supply at the institution and fear an out break of water born diseases.
But UNZA vice chancellor professor Steven Simukanga has assured the students that the water supply will be normalized by Monday afternoon.
ZNBC
It is the usual template. Wait for it to blow up then we will run like headless chickens to address the ills. What happened to maintenance in my country??? Ripping out tarred roads and rail tracks is the order of the day instead of steadily improving on what we have. I suppose they will connect a hose pipe to the showgrounds to address this scenario for students. Soon there will be no infrastructure at UNZA too!
yaba MONK SQUARE, Its been over 15 years. That place was great. We really made Chiluba to sweet. These kids want to do it with sata too.
The failure of infrastructure in Zambia in not just acceptable.
These are the things human rights organisations ought to be talking to government about, not the homosexuality nonsense.
WOW Â don’t kubeba…..this is wat you wanted why crying…..jst go for class and get a good livingÂ
This is why opening of new universities without addressing the problems of infrasture at existing universities will not do us any good in Zambia. The problem is with government failure to fund that great institution adequately. Ba monko extend yo demos to include the library as well it is in a pathetic state.
Ban Ki Moon fimo fimo such are the issues of urgency in the developing/un-developing world not men screwing each other or ladies fingering each other.And ba Sata such are issues that are supposed to make you busy running around to find lasting solutions not RE-luctance,RE-shuffle,RE-call,RE-appoint,RE-deploy,RE-align…twapapata this is 2012 and not 19…
Just as I said all these protests are simply symptoms of the general discontent in the country. Bus drivers, Unza students etc, when everyone decides to do it in unison that will be the end………..and time is running out very very very quickly.
Yunza students, that is what you all voted for, stop complaining, go back to class or sambani mu ma gomma lakes.
U management or mismanagers do u ve to wait for a demo for u to solve problems?Prof its time to park yo bugs and go.
Next will be lecturers , the salaries are too low as low a K10million take home for a Doctor sure, when in Botswana who were booted in AFCON 2012 with a bashing record of 6 -1 can pay as high as K50million kwacha equivalent
Simply the worst university in the world. Try to create an alumni organization to garner donations from former students. That’s how other universities survive, even Harvard begs for money from alumni.
Unga 6#:
You have made my night with your RE….!
Coming to the issue at hand, how are the momas, UNZA open, UNZA blue, bungwes, monks, chongs, ba fosa and fifi bogging without water? In buckets? I dont want to imagine!
I hope they find a lasting solution not the firefighting kind of rectifying problems. Should it take students to protest for management to move and sort out issues like water. The hostels are over crowed and as if thats not enough you also subject students to lack of water. Having spend years at UNZA I know what students are going through.
Dry up and have some sense blaming the government is a remote thing over water at an institution with a maintenance dept capable of handling this issue. Surely you want sata to be incharge of water at Unza mwebantu ubupuba. Its just the corruption at unza not using money accordingly and employing unqualified plumbers using try and error methods. 4 to 5 hours of water shortage is a problem enough for the University to close. How did the vice chancelor come up with the time frame of sorting out the problem by Monday. it means he was not working all along. water is priority the institution has enough money to deal with water problems even school are capable of maintaining a constant water reticulation given the situation that funds are maximised for priority projects like water and lighting.
The thing (university) is also packed water has no chance to fill up. Its too densely populated beyond the capacity the infrastructure can hold. It worse than a shant compound. i once visited one of the eating places and i was shocked with the standards of food service and to make matters worse i got supplied on the lack of concern of the students who happily bought their food their in very happy moods.
Education must be wholestic not only on book knowledge.
Nubian Princess, that’s right on. A lot of these guys who blogg here went to lusaka campus but they don’t give back. They are making plenty mula outside the country. Some of us were excluded from that campus. They said we didn’t have what it took to get a degree but universities accepted us here with open arms and now I am giving back on a monthly basis. Thats what alumni do!
UNZA students hold your fire, let the gvt finish sorting out reshuffles and the Barotse issue, then nurses 100 % increment then complete pay the chipolopolo boys then put more money in the pocket for citizens then provide employment for youths then paying pensioners then build more hospitals and schools then peddicle road and your toilets will be next okey!
UNZA Monks should be mre patient than any other Zambian- Their preferred government is at work. They should wait for ninety days.It is wrong for UNZA to inconvenience the people on the great east road. The tax payers should be respected by those who enjoy the hard earned money. How many of the people you voted for know the MONK SQUARE ASSEMLIES? How many of them know what it means to poun even under massive attacks of most educated “UNZA MOSQUITOES?” Some of you are professional students, you should graduate and join us in the real world.
#15 Destroyer
I agree with you,indeed some of us were excluded from UNZA claiming we did have what it took to get a degree there.Other universities accepted us with open arms and here we are giving back.How about former UNZA graduates?where are they? what happened to the Academic Forum founded by LPM and headed by Sebastian Kopulande?
Ok use the Construction students to fix these issues dont just seat there ma-lecturers and wait for gov funding use common sense and take leadership. Zambia is under resourced so use whatever is at your disposal to fix the issue. Be practicle guys wake up we are the solution not always asking for help, help yourself first. If a muzungu can build a beautiful hous in the bush using local resources why can’t we its about time we started doing things for ouselves and not just waiting for someone to do it for us.
The progress of rehabilitation that the MMD embarked on was derailed. Since the students were pivotal in the change, we can only remind you: you reap what you sow.
Lelo lelo sata, wacimona!
thank God that they did not throw stones this time. this is the sata govt you wanted. you know PF was going to perform 90 days magic. this is a govt with no visio. how can it start a new province with new districts when it can’t even pay for water at Unza?
As it has always been since time immemorial, it has to take some student unrest in order to realise the extent to which the problem has gone. Take for instance the building of the foot bridge, a student from Evelyn Hone College was bashed and killed on Great East Road, UNZA students rioted and Govt moved in. A CBU student was shot with a live bullet and Govt moved in to purchase rubber bullets for the police. In short, it has to take some kind of ‘disaster’ to wake up our Govt.
How can you expect this UNZA to have water when they have over the years failed to introduce an MBA programme,if they introduced this course say costing $20,000 per student and you had a class of 20 students?Introduce also,’small’ certificate and maybe 1 year diploma courses.For example,1 year diploma course in Project Management or environmental management and charge say,$5,000 and you have say a 100 students.That would be extra buck and some of the profits could be channelled to improving infrastructure.
UNZA lecturers and the accompanying academic system is too rigid.The courses are still the same as 40 years ago.They even fail to name the courses to represent whats on the transcript.You graduate with civil,or mechanical,metallurgy,etc when in actual sense it should read:civil,structural,roads and environmental or mechanical,refrigeration,automotive and production engineering or metallurgy,mineral processing and chemical engineering.The whole system is archaic.Wits University or Cape Town has a close link with industry leaders and offer short courses where companies cough up big time.But UNZA lecturers,kaya mwandi!!!
Spot on, when i was at unza, even going to the library was torture books so acient were written in the 19th century.
UNZA managment are preoccupied with making tuma money through travell and other allowances, leaving the institution to be on auto pilot. Did you know unza courses and programmes are so accient? And did you know the entire human resource department (registrars department) is run by engineers and other bogus managers? Not a single one of the entire admin is a member of the human resource institute of ZAmbia? its a circus. Meanwhile chi minister is Ndwiii watching the fools destroy the institution.
@Scottish Man #25 you have said something significant there – the RIGIDITY. Aside from the fact that there is no capacity planning for even the next 5 years (forget about the useless strategic plans that are only prepared to satisfy statutes) there doesn’t seem to be a sense of moving with the times. Just look at how professional courses are bashed by academic institutions especially in our country when most of those professional courses are prepared and delivered by equally qualified (if not more) individuals and departments (most corporates have Knowledge Management Departments that are competitive enough). We need to start aligning with the environment, otherwise we will forever continue to produce job-seekers and 19th Century grade graduates.
Ahhhh UNZA you are complaining about water? this is the Government you voted for but here is my suggestion dont wait for Government to give you money..14billion is actually just a few dollars about 250,000 USD…..let the UNZA come up with a good project and charge for it..for instance the Government has no clue on what to do with the free-fall kwacha let the Economists in the Unza prepare a project proposal and present it to the BOZ, do research and come with solutions for sale…the Barosteland Agreement? Surely UNZALAW can conduct a well researched document and ‘sale’ it to GRZ…the Constitution etc..even the water system you are saying is 14 billion who has told you? Have you engaged Beng to come up with the system and then have it costed? Stop being cha cha and think…ala
14billion no ways! The money that gvt has is just for emergencies like the Musanzala by elections.
NO. 25. Correct. Things don’t change. I myself being a metallurgist I tried to advise one of my former lecturers to review one of the courses and he objected without reason,. The process control course is still the same old one that mainly features the analog systems, the same goes for the other courses in engineering displines.
One love the situation is the same pa CBU. Most Chemical Engineering and Metallurgical courses are suppose to be  taught side by side with experiments and computer applications but lecturers are using books published 30 year ago. Non of the lecturers know computer applications such as Matlab, Fluent, Chem cad,Aspen etc which are essential if a Chemical engineering/Metallurgist graduate is to be relevant to society in this time and age!
They are alot of saleable and money making ventures you as UNZA can engage in..instead of jsut teaching develop a research centre, where top notch students can work..you can be the think tank for the country..instead of always begging get involved….the road system needs research, the type of partnerships we engage….what about green energy..come on UNZA get alive and STOP being grant aided….
Someone must tell the great lizard & his minion Sampa to put nonsensical re-alignment on ice until after consultations. in the interim deal with water crisis at UNZA the so-called highest learning institution and pressing developmental programs. Not these homo stories, Commisssion of inquiries, ambassodor positions that only benefit chitulika village. Already muchinga people are about to ventilate with anger.
Priorities ba pf otherwise your road is clearly paved for failure. Looking at what this govt has prioritized, its clear we have kleptomanias at the helm of power. Fulfill your promises to the people.
its just some discontent in the way the country is being run..the chaps were duped..!management at unza has also failed..
Zambians have no culture of improving their conditions. They are always happy with second rate situations. This is not the case with other countries. For instance University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, SA is over one hundred years old but it looks newer than UNZA which is less than fifty years old. You will never hear of water shortage at UFS. Its lawns are green throughout the year. I have come to the conclusion that Zambians are generally dirty people whether educated or not.
Agree with you, see my commends, @37, like I ready ur input?? I have been at UNZA could not believe behavior of those students?? DIRTY and useless. They are used to be dependent.
One female student on ZBNC news suggested that management hires buses to transport students to arcades so that they can help themselves.. LMAO what a suggestion. Surely desparate times calls for desperate measures. Arcades is in trouble.
Why block the roads?? USELSESS INSTITUTION?? You mean this university has no Facilities Management? We are just a country that does not know maintenance. Even students are to blame, be a solution, there are engineering students at this Institution who help and come up with proper Innovative ways of resolving these challenges.
IF you make realistic suggestion, PRIVATE SECTORS WOULD HELP / fund your water projects. Problem is that some students are very playful and always want to find something to yell about.
GET SERIOUS
why cant UNZA be innovative.UNZA graduates are just like high school drop outs.one wonders how they clear subjects,some cant even write.what a aniversity
Silent drum. you r just a person who failed to go to UNZA and then begin demonising the place. when every child is growing its their dream to pass thru UNZA. but when they fail, some out of frustration begin demonising the place. Too bad if you didnt make to UNZA, the experience at UNZA can not be traded for anything.
Charity, very disapointing? if you where at UNZA? do you have an ALUMNI? to guide current stidents? you missed the point on what slient Drums said. These students should be part of a solution not problem. What they are doing is Nonsense, I still belong to my Old university community and help student as one pof public speakers even lecturer sometimes. pump sense in these Kids than encourage nonsense.
Its very sad that we are still crying bout the issue of water. Our engineers in zed are just too lazy that they cannot come up with a lasting solution. Now its UNZA tomorrow it will be Hone. Lets not blame the Govt for nothing water problems are a result of poor administration. Gosh wats is it with zed every time its govt to help why can we do it on our own…
UNZA students cant do any saleable research.no one ever designed anything for which zambia can be proud of.But UNZA of 70s,80s,90s was good.very different from mediocre degree holders we have.only those with some connections complete university education.especially bursary.
UNZA is long gone name, wonder caliber of graduates it produced. FORMER UNZA students? Do you have a Alumni to help or Guide these students? We your friends still belong to our UNIVERSITY COMMUNITIES AND HELP IN MANY ACTIVITIES. EXPECTING GOVERNMENT FOR WATER?? The Highest learning institution?? VERY STUPID.
Students can contribute to Improving standards, Problem is that they are not responsible and do not take pride. DO fundraising dinner dance or other fundraising activities you fo.ols . World will see your seriousness and can help.
I HAVE NO KIND WORDS FOR UNZA STUDENTS SORRY; THEY ARE JUST A BUNCH OF TROUBLE MAKERS. LOCK THEM
Unza is in a dilapidated state, i’ve been at the campus from 2009 to date, no maintenace-leaking leacture halls e.g. HSS, Lib basement, damaged taps leaking ablution blocks, those ruins are in a terrible state. If only they could even try simple routine maintenance works things could be better.
I WONDER WHY IT IS CALLED UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA AND NOT UNIVERSITY OF EAST LUSAKA OR JUST LUSAKA. THE WHOLE IDEA SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST UNIVERSITY IN ZAMBIA. WE ZAMBIANS DON’T THINK BEYOND OUR NOSES, DO WE?
True, it’s really a shame, that management of these institutions as so dull, they cannot come up with proper innovative ideas, they should GO to South Africa, visit Rand Afrikaans, or WITS?? Learn one thing or two. No pride in what they do.
failed university,never take your child there.take them to makerere.bravo!take them UNISA bravo!.UNZA,Ahhhhhhh,UNZA graduates can fail to pass grade 7 exams.we can bring student high school across -brain crackers of KALABO HIGH.I know many mentally unstable people as students at unza.
its unfortunate to have a leaders who wait for problems beofer acting . all parties have failed apart from Kaunda who took things differently and built that UNZA other wise the rest are selfish and PF is doomed for failure . who shall liberate us and do things rightly . God may you look upon zambia and give us someone who shall do things for the people .2016 let us vote with wisdom and make sure that we ask God b4 voting.this country is rich but we need another young KAUNDA ability
Though I agree with most sentiments expressed by bloggers, one thing we should mention is the fact that Universities out there are propelled by funding from the private sector and govt to a lesser extent. The majority of you guys in the diaspora who went to pursue your research degrees in Science and Engineering went on Scholarship. Most of those scholarships are sponsored by Private sector who have pumped money into those Universities to conduct research in certain field. Universities in Europe are attracting best students across the globe through funded projects like Marie Curie Research Training Networks. In Zambia, money generated from Tuition at UNZA/CBU is not enough to be disbursed to meaningful research.
privatize unza and we’ll half the problems
The idea of upgrading colleges like Nkrumah, Nortec and Evelyn Hone to Universities is not the best. These colleges train our boys and girls with special skills which may not be taught in Universities. We need special skills in Carpentry, Plumbing, Radiography, Lab Technician etc. These craft courses are not taught at degree level. If we upgrade all existing certificate and diploma courses to degree level, where will we find bricklayers, Welders, Lab technicians, etc. We may end up importing people with such skills from China.
#45. YOU DONT SEEM TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. ITS KK WHO MESSED UP THAT UNIVERSITY. FIRST, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT UNIVERSITY WAS NEVER FINISHED. IT WAS ABANDONED HALF WAY THROUGH BY THE ISREALITES DUE TO MIXIING POLITICS WITH DEVELOPMENT. THE CONSTRUCTOR ABANDONED IT WITH WHOLE THE STRUCTURAL PLANS WITH THEM. GO THERE AND TAKE A LOOK AND U WILL C HOW UNFINISHED THE BUILDING IS. OTHER STRUCTURES WERE NOT EVEN STARTED.
I agree with you, but I think KK took the first step which is commendable. The current problems UNZA is facing can be attributed to his successor, Chiluba. A statement like “We are not in a hurry to produce graduates” led to the University being closed for a long time which even affected subsequent intakes. Many lecturers left for greener pastures and those with money sent their kid abroad.
what ever peter says if it was theseguys in power that time UNZA was not going to e there or done half way. they stink corruption womanising and all sorts of things gay rights . most us would not have even ffinshed our schools but alas free education by kk.money is there but the leaders are not concerned about our walfare like kaunda did dispte his short comings ot the four presidents we have witnessed so far kaunda had a heart for people . time moves and look at our roads, more money with alot of pooor people why would some one buy those cars RB bought without a feel for people by now this country would have moved forward
I never studied at UNZA but if the vaious comments made on this blog about the institution are anything to go by then it is very sad indeed. There are more negative things about UNZA and we cannot expect any good from there. Let’s be realistic, it’s not Sata or PF to blame, problems of student allowances, poor meals, deplorable and chaotic accommodation, low calibre lecturers, riotous students, premature closures, the list is endless, all these have been there before Sata even dreamed that one day he will be present. All Zambian politicians once in power only care about themselves and their friends.
1/7th of Zambia is water.No water in kafue town,no water in Lusaka and no water at unza!I cant just believe that!We have danderheads everywhere in Zambia.Even the institution itself is full of deadwood.If not where are institutional solutions to such problems like creating courses to deal with such cases within unza and beyond.If water can be purified from sewers and oceans what of the kafue,zambezi,chongwe,luangwa rivers etc?My president is busy with reshuffles!we are heading nowhere.Students feel but it is a tip of an iceberg.GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
#51 Correction, president not present.
LT I WANT TO BUY UNZA to stop this nonsense?? Any contacts?? I would like to make it to be the best learning institution in AFRICA, ZEDS in Diaspora you are welcome to get some shares.
@51 You’re right, no one should blame Sata or PF because 90 days have passed and any problem after this period of time is beyond the PF manifesto. However, if we can only change the name of the institution to “University of Lusaka” all the problems of UNZA will be history. Another possible solution would be to realign UNZA to Muchinga Province-everything will be new!!!
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