THE ZAMBIAN
PEOPLE'S PULSE
Failing Our Future: The Dual Crisis at UNZA and Levy Mwanawasa
As protests erupt over student safety at Lusaka's top universities, the state's failure to protect its youth from rising violence is quickly becoming a defining issue for the 2026 elections.
A dual crisis at UNZA and Levy Mwanawasa Medical University has exposed a dangerous systemic failure in protecting Zambia's students from rising sexual violence and theft. Rather than offering security solutions, university administrations are responding with threats of eviction. This editorial argues that the state's inability to secure student boarding houses represents a profound failure of the Zambian justice system. With the 2026 elections approaching, the youth are demanding strict accountability and harsher penalties for offenders, signaling that student safety is no longer just a campus issue—it is a national priority.
The youth vote will ultimately decide the 2026 elections, but right now, Zambia’s students are fighting a more immediate battle: surviving the academic year. A dual crisis has engulfed our higher education institutions in Lusaka, exposing a deep and dangerous fracture in how the state protects its future leaders.
At the University of Zambia (UNZA), management has issued a heavy-handed ultimatum, threatening students with eviction from their hostels and potential expulsion. Meanwhile, at Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, the situation has spilled into the streets. Students are actively protesting an alarming and unchecked spike in rapes, assaults, and thefts at private boarding houses.
Conversations in lecture halls and campus debates across Lusaka this season have made one thing painfully clear: our youth are awake, but they are terrified. When the very environments designed for learning become hunting grounds for criminals—and when administrations respond with threats of eviction rather than comprehensive security solutions—we are witnessing a systemic failure.
This is no longer just a university disciplinary issue; it is a profound failure of the justice system. The public’s patience has run dry. Recent national polls indicate a staggering 80% of respondents now support radical, severe punishments for perpetrators of gender-based violence and sexual assault. The people are demanding a justice system that prioritizes the safety of victims over the leniency afforded to criminals.
If the state cannot secure the boarding houses where our future doctors, engineers, and civic leaders sleep, how can it promise to secure the nation's future?
The Pulse Verdict (Reader Engagement Hook): To embed at the bottom of the article to drive comments and social sharing:
Have your say: The students at Levy Mwanawasa are demanding immediate police intervention and stricter laws. Do you believe the current Zambian justice system is too lenient on perpetrators of sexual assault and gender-based violence?
Yes: We need harsher, non-bailable penalties to protect our youth.
No: The laws are fine; it is the police enforcement that is failing.
Drop your thoughts in the comments below or tag us on TikTok using #JusticeWatch.
Our Call to Action
We urge the Zambian government and the Zambia Police Service to immediately secure university boarding zones. Furthermore, we call upon the legislature and judiciary to listen to the public mandate and enact harsher, non-bailable penalties for perpetrators of sexual assault and gender-based violence.
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Policy Recommendations
- Recommendation 1: Immediate deployment of enhanced police patrols and rapid response units in and around all private boarding houses affiliated with Lusaka's major universities.
- Recommendation 2: Parliament must urgently review and amend legislation to enforce stricter, non-bailable sentences for offenders convicted of rape and gender-based violence.
- Recommendation 3: University administrations must immediately suspend eviction threats against protesting students and instead form joint security task forces with student union leaders.
Tanya Malama Fooks | Chief Editor
This editorial represents the official position of The Zambian People's Pulse.
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