Street vending in Lusaka is facing another major change as the Lusaka City Council moves to relocate vendors from the streets to designated markets.
The council announced that it would begin relocating street vendors on Saturday, October 3, 2026, as part of efforts to move trading activities into designated areas across the city.
The development is expected to attract significant attention because street vending has become an important source of income for thousands of people in Lusaka, while also remaining a major challenge for city authorities attempting to manage public spaces.
The latest move follows an earlier directive by the Lusaka City Council ordering street vendors to vacate streets effective September 29.
According to reports, the council warned that vendors who failed to comply could lose their trading spaces, which could then be allocated to other prospective traders.
The council’s position is based on legislation giving local authorities powers to regulate markets, bus stations and street vending.
For many residents, the issue is more complicated than simply removing people from the streets because street vending provides an income for individuals and families who depend on daily sales to survive.
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At the same time, authorities have raised concerns about congestion, sanitation, pedestrian movement and the general management of the city’s public spaces.
The relocation exercise therefore comes with questions about whether designated markets will provide enough space for all affected traders and whether customers will continue to visit the new trading areas.
Lusaka has previously attempted to address street vending through enforcement operations and relocation initiatives, but vendors have often returned to busy streets because of the customer traffic available in central business areas.
The latest exercise is consequently being watched closely by both traders and residents.
For vendors, the immediate concern is where they will operate and whether the alternative locations will allow them to maintain the customer base they have built through street trading.
For the city authorities, the challenge will be ensuring that the relocation process is orderly while maintaining public spaces and providing practical alternatives for traders.
The situation could also have an impact on consumers who have become accustomed to buying food, clothing, mobile phone accessories and other goods from vendors operating along busy streets.
As the Lusaka City Council begins the latest relocation exercise, attention will now be on how many vendors move voluntarily, how the designated markets accommodate them and whether the new arrangement can provide a lasting solution to street vending in the capital.
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