The Stench Of Failure: UNZA's sewer scandal is a death trap, not a dormitory

**LUSAKA –** While the University of Zambia (UNZA) continues to parade itself as the "Highest Learning Institution" in the land, a walk through its hostel corridors tells a different, more pungent story. It is a story of raw sewage, institutional neglect, and a leadership that has allowed the "Intellectual Hub" of Zambia to devolve into a Victorian-era slum. The recent viral TikTok exposé by **Tanya Malama Fooks** (video/7619375583868243203) has finally stripped away the veneer of academic prestige, revealing the literal filth in which our future leaders are expected to study. But the statistics recently confirmed by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mundia Muya are even more damning: a sewer system designed for **4,000 students** is now being forced to serve **28,000 residents**. ### The Dean’s Squalid Legacy Where is the **Dean of Students** in this crisis? The Office of the Dean is explicitly mandated with student welfare, hostel hygiene, and sanitation. Yet, under their watch, "UNZA Squalor" has become a normalized rite of passage. Students report sharing a single functional toilet among three hostels. In some blocks, the stench of human waste is so pervasive it clings to the clothes of the learners. To call this "poor management" is a polite fiction; it is a human rights violation. The Education Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kelvin Mambwe, was right to call out the "lapses in management." When the President has to direct the Zambia National Service (ZNS) to intervene in university toilets, the Dean’s office has effectively abdicated its duty. ### The Budget of Broken Promises The numbers are a slap in the face. While UNZA Student Union (UNZASU) President Mwanto Kabaso notes that **K170 million** is required to overhaul this crumbling infrastructure, the national budget for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) remains a pathetic **1%** of total expenditure—far below the 5% target set in the 8th National Development Plan. Where have the "student maintenance fees" gone?