Hungry Lion Monze shut down over unsanitary conditions
Breaking News Zambia
NewsMONZE – Monze Town Council has ordered the immediate closure of the Hungry Lion outlet in Monze after health inspections found what the local authority described as unsanitary conditions posing a risk to public health. According to the Closure Order and Notice of Suspension reported by the Zambia Daily Mail, the Council suspended the outlet’s […]
MONZE – Monze Town Council has ordered the immediate closure of the Hungry Lion outlet in Monze after health inspections found what the local authority described as unsanitary conditions posing a risk to public health.
According to the Closure Order and Notice of Suspension reported by the Zambia Daily Mail, the Council suspended the outlet’s Certificate of Compliance effective September 28, 2026, and ordered the premises closed at 15:00 that day.
The action followed inspections conducted on September 2 and September 28, 2026, with the order signed by Assistant Director of Public Health Felix Buleke.
The Council’s action was taken under Sections 34 and 43(4)(d) of the Food Safety Act No. 7 of 2019, according to the Daily Mail report.
During the closure, the proprietor, manager, employees and agents have been prohibited from preparing, handling, selling or distributing food until the Council issues written clearance following a satisfactory re-inspection.
What did health inspectors find?
According to the Council’s findings reported by the Daily Mail, the kitchen and food preparation areas were found in an unacceptable condition, with accumulated dirt, grease and food residues on floors, walls, surfaces, utensils and equipment.
The surrounding area was also reported to have accumulated refuse and blocked drainage, resulting in stagnant wastewater.
Monze Town Council Public Relations Officer Kanchele Kanchele said the conditions created a potential risk of food contamination and posed a health hazard to consumers.
The Council said the continued non-compliance was the reason for suspending the Certificate of Compliance and closing the outlet.
What must happen before Hungry Lion reopens?
The Council has directed the outlet to undertake several corrective measures before it can resume operations.
These include unblocking the sewer line, maintaining the drainage system, thoroughly cleaning and sanitising food preparation areas and removing accumulated refuse.
The Council has also directed that pest-control measures be implemented, food be stored properly and any contaminated or spoiled food be safely disposed of.
Reopening will only be permitted after health inspectors are satisfied that the required food-safety standards have been met.
Not the first Hungry Lion health closure
The Monze closure comes against a history of public-health enforcement involving Hungry Lion outlets in Zambia.
In January 2018, during the country’s cholera outbreak, authorities shut three Hungry Lion restaurants after food samples tested positive for the bacterium that causes cholera. The closures were part of efforts to control an outbreak that was particularly severe in Lusaka.
More recently, in February 2025, Chilanga Town Council temporarily closed the Hungry Lion Chilanga outlet after laboratory analysis of food and water samples found faecal contamination in water used for food preparation. Testing also detected Staphylococcus aureus in cooked chicken.
The Chilanga outlet remained closed while corrective measures were being pursued, with the council identifying contaminated water associated with leaking sewer pipes as an issue requiring attention.
In another development later in 2025, a Lusaka woman filed a High Court case against Hungry Lion Limited alleging that she and her two daughters suffered food poisoning after eating at the company’s Chilenje outlet in February 2024. Those were allegations in a civil case and should not be treated as a finding that the outlet caused the illness.
A growing chain under greater scrutiny
Hungry Lion has grown substantially across Africa since opening its first restaurant in South Africa in 1997. Its official history says two of its first additional stores opened in Zambia in the same year.
The company says it now operates across Zambia and several other African countries and opened its 500th store in 2025. It describes food quality and responsible sourcing as central to its brand.
That growth makes public-health compliance at individual outlets particularly important.
But the closures in Monze and Chilanga should also be viewed in their specific circumstances. A closure of one outlet does not, by itself, establish that every Hungry Lion outlet has similar conditions.
For consumers, however, the repeated involvement of Hungry Lion outlets in public-health enforcement over different years raises a straightforward question: how effectively are food-safety standards being maintained across a rapidly expanding network?
For now, the Monze outlet remains closed until the Council conducts a satisfactory re-inspection and gives written clearance to reopen.
Zambian Eye will follow the outcome of the re-inspection and any response from Hungry Lion.
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