Kasama, Zambia

Kasama is a town in the Northern Province of Zambia. It serves as the provincial capital and the headquarters of Kasama District.

Location
It is situated on the central-southern African plateau, approximately 856 km, by road, north-east of Lusaka, the capital and largest city in Zambia.

Kasama is located on the M1 road (old Great North Road) from Mpika in the south to Mbala and Mpulungu, at the tip of Lake Tanganyika, in the north.

Population
The city population grew considerably in the 1970s and 1980s after construction of the TAZARA Railway through the city, and the tarring of the Great North Road, Zambia. Its population, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, was 74,243 in 2000 and had increased to 113,779 in 2010.

History
The 1898/1899 interregnum on the Mwamba throne, the then second in rank from the Chitimukulu, made it possible for Catholic Bishop Joseph 'Moto Moto' Dupont to facilitate the establishment of the British colonial administration of North-Eastern Rhodesia under Administrator Robert Codrington. The first BSAC administrative boma was established at Kasama. Due to the town's central location as well as its closeness to Chitimukulu's and Mwamb's courts, it eventually became the largest and dominant town of the north-eastern lobe of Northern Rhodesia, then later, Zambia.

Economic activities
The town has a few modern facilities, among them are a Shoprite Checkers branch, Budget Stores, a local supermarket called PJT and four bakeries. The town has branches of Zambian commercial banks including Zambia National Commercial Bank, National Savings & Credit Bank, Atlas Mara Bank Zambia Limited, Standard Chartered Zambia, Cavmont Bank, Barclays Bank of Zambia, Access Bank Zambia and Indo-Zambia Bank Limited. The town has VISA and ATM services.

Most people in Kasama are not formally employed, and they run small businesses to earn a living. The hospital is the Kasama General Hospital, that provides locals with health services. The city has a police station and several police posts. The available mobile telephone operators include MTN Group, Airtel Zambia and Zamtel.

There are several Agri Based industries in Kasama, which include Northern Coffee Company Limited (NCCL), a subsidiary of Olam International, growing coffee at Kateshi Estates, and Kalungwishi Estates growing sugar cane and producing the Kasama Sugar brand.

Ethnic groups
Kasama is in the heartland of the Bemba ethnic group, whose Paramount Chief Chitimukulu maintains his headquarters 9 km from Malole, which is 51 km east of the city center.

Suburbs
Kasama has the following residential compounds within the district council boundaries:
 * Central Town (the largest)
 * New Town or Mbulo
 * Location
 * Mukulumpe
 * Chikumanino

The compounds below are out of the council boundary:
 * Mulenga Hills
 * Jazz
 * Tazara
 * Misamfu
 * Milima
 * Chiba
 * Chitamba
 * Brown
 * Winberg
 * Kasama Village
 * Kungu
 * Mutale/Milenge
 * Chisanga
 * Soft Katongo
 * Lua Luo

Transport
Kasama is served by a good network of major highways. It is on the M1 road, which goes south to Mpika and north to Mbala. The M3 road connects Kasama with Luwingu, Mansa and the Congo Pedicle in the west. The D18 road connects Kasama with Mungwi and Isoka in the east.

The gauge TAZARA Railway connects Tanzania to the north-east via Kasama, with Zambia Railways at Kapiri Mposhi to the south-west.

Air transport is accessible through Kasama Airport. It can accommodate small aircraft, and it is undergoing an upgrade to be able to accommodate larger aircraft. It was expected to be ready by the end of 2017, but was complete in 2023.

Recreation
Kasama recreational facilities include the Kasama golf club, which also offers tennis, volleyball, badminton, body building, and a small football ground with one stand that can seat less than a thousand people. The town has other football grounds where people can play soccer.

There are resorts at Chishimba Falls and guest houses and lodges such as the Chinchi's Nest and Kings Guest House, and 3 nightclubs.

Rivers
Kasama District has five big rivers and these include, Chambeshi, Lukulu, Lukupa, Lubansenshi and Luombe. The Chishimba Falls are found across the Luombe River and are one of the major tourist attraction in Zambia. The falls host the 15 megawatts Chishimba Hydroelectric Power Station.

Climate
Kasama features a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa), close to a tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw), with clear wet and dry seasons. October and November are the hottest months, while June and July are the coolest months. The wet season, from November to April, experiences high levels of humidity and rainfall, while the dry season, from May to September, is nearly rainless.

World War I
At the end of World War I, when it consisted of a handful of government offices and a dozen stores, it was evacuated by its British population of a couple of dozen in the face of a surprise raid from the north-east by German East African forces under General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Not knowing that the armistice had occurred in Europe the day before, the Germans took the abandoned town on 12 November 1918 and continued south-west (there was no battle at Kasama since the British imperial forces were at Abercorn), agreeing a cease-fire at the Chambeshi River on 14 November when they were informed of the German surrender in Europe. For further details, see Von Lettow-Vorbeck Memorial.

Art
Kasama is known for the Stone Age rock art in the surrounding area. The Chishimba Falls also lie near the town.

Notable people

 * Alexander Chikwanda - Minister of Finance, 2011-2016, born in Kasama.