Great East road reopened after Kankumba bridge collapse in Rufunsa

The Great East Road has reportedly been reopened to traffic after engineers from the Zambia National Service (ZNS) and the Road Development Agency (RDA) constructed a diversion following the collapse of Kankumba Bridge in Rufunsa District.

According to a statement issued in Lusaka on Sunday by Ministry of Defence Principal Public Relations Officer Paul Shalala, said:

“Travellers to Eastern Province, Malawi and Mozambique can now make their journey,” adding that engineers would now focus on constructing a permanent bridge.

Passengers and motorists had been stranded as repair works were delayed due to heavy rains at the collapsed section of the Great East Road in Rufunsa District.

The heavy rains washed away culverts at Kankhumba Stream on Thursday afternoon, disrupting traffic between Lusaka and Eastern Province.

Traffic had initially been expected to resume via a detour constructed by the RDA and ZNS. Lusaka Province Principal Public Relations Officer Logic Lukwanda and Shalala said work commenced on Friday, December 27, 2025, with engineers reportedly working through the night to restore traffic flow.

“The current situation is that there is traffic build-up both east- and west-bound, leaving motorists travelling in both directions stranded, except for buses which are exchanging passengers and goods and making U-turns,” Lukwanda and Shalala said.

ZNS Commander Lieutenant General Maliti Solochi II and Lusaka Province Minister Sheal Mulyata visited the site to assess the damage.

Meanwhile, President Hakainde Hichilema directed the Zambia Army, ZNS, and the RDA to conduct a nationwide assessment of roads, particularly bridges, to enable proactive interventions rather than waiting for disasters.

“To deal with the sanitation aspect, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit in Rufunsa have made available mobile toilets and an ambulance at the site to attend to the hundreds of people who are stranded on either side of the road,” Lukwanda and Shalala said.

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