By MILDRED KATONGO  –

THE continued shortage of accommodation in most institutions of higher learning in Kitwe has forced landlords to turn their houses into boarding houses.
Kitwe has seen an increase in the number of learning institutions offering different skills, but with either inadequate or no student accommodation.
Landlords in many residential areas have seen an opportunity to commercialise their private properties from which they are earning good income.
However, some members of the public are concerned about the mushrooming boarding houses, some of which are shared by male and female students.
Some boarding houses have allegedly been turned into sex dens, thus fuelling the anti-social behaviour which is leading to increased cases of HIV infection in the district.
There are immoral activities taking place in the boarding facilities because they are not monitored closely as the case is when the students are accommodated on campus.
Some of them are overcrowded, with poor ventilation, which exposes the students to many health hazards.
Health authorities in Kitwe say the boarding houses have proved to be part of the drivers of the high HIV/AIDS infection rate in the district.
According to the statistics unveiled by the District AIDS Task Force (DATF) at a recent stakeholders’ meeting, 1,000 people out of 8,000 people undergoing HIV tests come out positive every month.
District AIDS coordination adviser, Regina Katongo said the mushrooming boarding houses in the district were partly responsible for the escalating HIV/AIDS cases.
Ms Katongo said the district had observed that some of the boarding houses had been turned into brothels.
“As a district we have received reports that a number of colleges that have come up have no accommodation for their students.
“This has forced students to rent houses and as it is, those students are not guided,” she said.
Ms Katongo said the district had lagged behind in terms of sensitisation on the dangers of HIV/AIDS as evidenced from the high HIV infection rate.
She appealed to the Kitwe City Council to carry out regular inspections and ensure that only the registered boarding houses were allowed to operate.
She called on the council to shut down outlets which were allowing both female and male students to share the same facilities.
“The HIV infection rate in our district is very high; it is everyone’s concern, so let us not just sit but find means and ways of preventing and reducing the infection rate,” she said.
“It is sad that some boarding houses in Kitwe have been turned into sex dens because the owners of the facilities are allowing both male and female students to share the places.”
Ms Katongo said a proper monitoring mechanism should be put in place to ensure that young people do not indulge in illegal activities.
She advised the owners of boarding facilities to work hand-in-hand with the council in addressing vices which are detrimental to the youth.