Curiosity about the Lusaka Mayoral election...
I am very curious about the forthcoming Lusaka executive mayoral by-elections slated for 26th July 2018. On 26th June 2018, candidates successfully filed their nominations to the Electoral Commission of Zambia to contest the mayoral by-election.
But who among the nine really understands Lusaka? Who knows what issues the city faces and has viable ideas for fixing the problems? If you are a Lusakanite, please vote come 26th July!!! But ahead of that, please use this as one of your litmus tests for checking the calibre of your would-be Mayors.
Firstly, does your preferred candidate for Major know that Lusaka’s population density is growing at a rate of 5.6% per year on average, and will increase from 5,808 persons per square km in 2017 to about 6,906 persons per square km in 2021? (See, figure below) What is the housing deficit expected to be by 2021 in Lusaka if things keep going as they are currently? How does your would-be Major propose to deal with the mounting pressure for decent housing in Lusaka? How will he or she help the city dwellers, especially those who find themselves in slum areas, to cope with the cement levy, which now adds to the cost of building a house? If your guy or gal hadn’t thought about these things or cannot give you sharp, crystal clear answer regarding Lusaka’s looming housing crisis, then he or she is probably not worth your time! If they had not checked the population density statistics until you asked them just now, well… hmmm… run away; run like you are running from the plague!!!
Secondly, one of the main problems persistently plaguing the city of Lusaka is the repeated outbreaks of cholera. The 2017/2018 rainy season was particularly bad so most Lusakanites surely must remember hardships and heartbreaks associated with this issue. Cholera is a waterborne disease stemming largely from poor water and sanitary services and practices. Public investment in water and sanitation services is therefore a straightforward way of dealing conclusively with Cholera. And it is quite well-known that the bulk of national budgetary allocations to water and sanitation are earmarked for water and sanitation projects in urban Zambia, mainly Lusaka. Where I am going with this is thought is this: by the time you raise the cholera and water and sanitation issues, your would-be Mayor should have already checked and should know that since 2015, the central Government has been reducing the amount of money it releases to water and sanitation. In fact, in 2016 – an election year – the Government only released K175 million to water and sanitation out of a budget allocation of K285 million (figure below). Worse still, in 2017 – the year when the cholera epidemic hit Zambia hard – the Government released only 44% (or K120 million) out of the allocation of K275 million, choosing instead to purchase 42 fire trucks for a total bill of K399 million! ( What the heck were they thinking?!!) Anyway, what strategies is your would-be Mayor proposing as measures for ensuring that the Government acquires the fiscal discipline to stick to its water and sanitation budget? What areas will your guy or gal steer the spending towards? Why?
Don’t allow your would-be Major to give you wishy washy answers. Let them give you clear answers backed by statistics and practical solutions: what is the housing shortage in Lusaka? How many households do not have access to potable water in the city? How many people do not have access to toilets where they say or in their workspaces? Anyone that cannot give you straight answers to these questions is not worth their salt. They are definitely not worth your time or vote.
Well, that's what was on my mind: vote wisely, cross-checking manifestos against the issues that affect you!