President Hakainde Hichilema has barred local authorities from allocating unplanned land, saying the practice has turned large parts of the country into shanty compounds. The President issued the directive at State House in Lusaka on Thursday while swearing in Lukulu South Member…

President Hakainde Hichilema has barred local authorities from allocating unplanned land, saying the practice has turned large parts of the country into shanty compounds. The President issued the directive at State House in Lusaka on Thursday while swearing in Lukulu South Member of Parliament Dr Christopher Kalila as Minister of Housing. He said all 116 councils must ensure that land set aside for housing is properly planned before any plot is handed out. Planned land, he said, must come with properly designed roads and clear standards for the houses to be built on it.

“We cannot continue allowing councils to allocate plots which are unplanned, essentially continuing building up shanty compounds, unplanned settlements. No,” President Hichilema said.

The President also ordered the construction of roads and drainage in existing residential areas that were developed without them. He said those areas must also be provided with water, sanitation and other basic amenities. The directive places the newly created Ministry of Housing at the centre of a push to bring order to how land is allocated and developed. It marks a break from a pattern in which residents build first and wait years for services to follow.

President Hichilema questioned why houses built for teachers, nurses and agricultural officers in rural areas were often bigger than necessary. He said the same resources could instead produce two smaller but decent units. They could also go into homes designed specifically for couples with children or for single officers. Once national housing standards are in place, he told the minister, the Government would be able to monitor and control construction costs with precision.

“Once we have the standards, minister, then we can monitor and control the cost of those houses because we know how many bricks or blocks go into that house,” he said.

On affordable housing, the President said Zambia’s mortgage system must become functional. He said public service workers spend a great deal of time at their construction sites, time they never account for at work. Under proper housing schemes backed by financing, he said, workers would no longer need to supervise their own plots. A worker would choose a house that meets the standards, a developer would build it and the worker would pay through a mortgage while remaining at their desk.

“The mortgage system must work,” President Hichilema said.

The President told Dr Kalila that his background as a medical doctor would not hold him back, saying a person with intellect could take on many tasks. He described the problems in the housing sector as basic matters that required practical solutions. Housing previously fell under the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development. Its former minister, Charles Milupi, was sworn in at the same ceremony as Minister of Transport and Logistics.

The President has also turned his attention to land under traditional authority. During a courtesy call on Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli people at her palace in Chongwe District, he committed the Government to resolving chiefdom boundary disputes dating back to the 1958 demarcation. The Senior Chieftainess raised the boundary question alongside the problem of her chiefdom falling under more than one council. She also cited the difficulties traditional leaders face in attending council meetings following the 2025 amendment to the Constitution.

“We have committed to resolving the boundary question, which affects many other chiefdoms as well,” President Hichilema said.

To ease the burden on chiefs, the President directed that traditional leaders whose chiefdoms straddle several districts should nominate proxies to attend council meetings on their behalf. He said the Government brought traditional leaders back into councils so they could contribute directly to the development of their areas. The proxy arrangement means chiefs can keep a voice in every council covering their land without attending each meeting in person. Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya is a former Member of the Central Committee of UNIP and a former Member of Parliament for Chongwe.

Disorderly land allocation has long troubled local authorities. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has in the past revoked the land agency of councils including Lusaka City Council, Kafue Town Council, Chongwe Municipal Council and Kitwe City Council over illegal allocation. Illegal allocation has often left more than one person claiming ownership of the same plot. Unplanned settlements also frequently lack roads, drainage, toilets and water, making it difficult for ambulances to reach residents during emergencies. Zambia’s housing deficit is estimated at 1.5 million units.

The directive comes as the Government pursues a national programme to regenerate cities. Vice-President W.K. Mutale Nalumango this week said the Government favours urban upgrading that improves living conditions in informal settlements without unnecessarily displacing residents. In a speech read on her behalf by Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gift Sialubalo at the National Urban Planning Conference, she said land was often occupied, subdivided or developed before planning frameworks and essential services were in place. She said the Grow Zambia Agenda depended on well-planned settlements, reliable infrastructure and access to markets.