Zambia marks centenary birthday of founding President Kaunda

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zambia on Sunday marked the centenary birthday of the country’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda.

Kaunda, fondly revered as ‘KK’ or ‘Super Ken’, died aged 97 in 2021 and could have turned a 100 on Sunday.

He ruled Zambia for 27 years, from 1964 when the country became independent from British colonial rule, till 1991 when multiparty politics were introduced.

In his life after office, Kaunda spent most of his time championing the cause against HIV/AIDS, for which he won global recognition.

Together with others, Kaunda pioneered the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the forerunner to the present-day African Union (AU).

At a ceremony marking the centenary birthday in the town of Chinsali, Kaunda’s birthplace, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said that although gone, Kaunda’s works and desire for a unified Zambia still lived on.

Marathons were among other public events held to mark the occasion, while embassies accredited to the country also shared goodwill messages.

On Sunday, the country also marked the 31st anniversary of the tragic death of an entire football team off the coast of Gabon in a plane crash.

The team was fondly known as KK-11 in awe of Kaunda’s passion for the sport.