Zambia Road Safety Trust
2027 Budget includes road safety programmes. ZRST asks Parliament to clarify what they will fund
Press release | 7 November 2026
LUSAKA, 7 November 2026. The Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST) is asking Parliament to establish how much the 2027 National Budget will spend on measures to prevent road deaths and serious injuries. Zambia Police recorded 2,286 road deaths from January to September 2026, up from 1,893 in the same period in 2025. That is 393 more deaths, an increase of 20.8 percent. ZRST compilation of Zambia Police figures.
The Budget Address proposes K18.15 billion for road infrastructure and sets out plans to construct, upgrade and rehabilitate 787 kilometres of roads. The detailed Estimates, known as the Yellow Book, identify a K17.09 billion roads sub-programme that includes road safety programmes alongside construction, maintenance and other works. The Estimates leave the amount for those safety programmes unspecified.
The Yellow Book separately identifies K1.25 million for Zambia Police Road Traffic Services, up about 47 percent from the 2026 approved amount. The proposed transfer to the Road Transport and Safety Agency remains K155.64 million in nominal terms. The Ministry of Transport and Logistics has retained its targets of six joint highway patrols and four joint road safety enforcement operations. The health estimates also include emergency ambulance services within Primary Health Services, without a separate amount for responding to road crashes.
What ZRST asks Parliament to do
During budget scrutiny, ZRST asks Parliament to request a costed schedule showing which routes will receive crossings, footpaths and school-zone traffic calming, where speed enforcement will take place and what emergency response services will be funded. The schedule should identify the agency responsible for each measure and how the public can track delivery.
The Road Development Agency and councils should identify where the planned works pass schools, markets and clinics. Where a site assessment shows a need for crossings, footpaths or lower speeds, those works should be priced and specified before tenders go out.
Notes to editors
The 2027 amounts are proposed estimates. The K17.09 billion is the full roads sub-programme, which covers several activities. The relevant Yellow Book entries are on pages 117–118 for police traffic services, 246–247 for road infrastructure, 537 for ambulance services and 574–576 for the RTSA transfer and joint enforcement targets.
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