Kenneth Kaunda: The anti-colonial legacy of Zambian leader who became Africa’s elder statesman

The passing of Zambia’s founding father, Kenneth Kaunda, at age 97 marks not just the end of an era in Zambian politics but a loss that will be mourned across much of southern Africa.

A man defined as much by his profound Christian faith as he was for his vision for an Africa free from European control, Dr Kaunda’s legacy is a profound one. Zambia, the country he helped free from British rule in 1964, has declared 21 days of mourning to mark his passing. Other countries within the region have declared periods of official mourning.

Dr Kaunda led Zambia for 27 years, from its foundation to his eventual electoral defeat in 1991 in which his idealised vision for a free Zambia collided with the unforgiving realities of economics – both domestic and international. Nevertheless, he remained a pivotal figure in African politics, leading the fights against Aids and, in later life, regaining much of the prestige he had enjoyed during the early independence years.

“Kaunda is remembered with genuine affection in Zambia and there is a huge sense of loss,” Dr  Knox Chitiyo of Chatham House told The Independent.

“Zambians of an older generation know that he was far from perfect – his imposition of one-party rule in 1973 was controversial – but he was a unifier and the ‘one Zambia, one nation’ line which he popularised was much more than just a slogan, it was a powerful rallying cry which helped to build nationhood. Kaunda will also be remembered for peacefully conceding defeat to Fredrick Chiluba in 1991 after an acrimonious election campaign.”

In Zambia, the government-owned Daily Mail marked his death with the simple headline, KK Dies, relying on the public’s familiarity with the former president’s acronym. The Times of Zambia led with simply, African Giant Goes Home. Elsewhere, across much of southern and central Africa, his death marks a moment of sadness and for many introspection.

Dr Kaunda played a pivotal role in the region’s shift towards majority rule. After securing Zambian independence in October 1964, the first country in the region to do so, Dr Kaunda worked to ensure as many territories as possible followed in Zambia’s wake.

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As president of the first majority-ruled African state, Dr Kaunda proved a defining force within the region. Zambia provided a secure base for the liberation movements of Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, allowing them to establish military bases, training camps, refugee centres and administrative offices on its territory.

A fierce critic of the apartheid system in South Africa, Kaunda led the diplomatic push against white minority rule, even threatening to expel Britain from the Commonwealth should it provide arms to white South Africa.

His contribution towards ending apartheid rule in South Africa is remembered. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared 10 days of official mourning across South Africa to mark his passing. He described Kaunda as the “beloved and rightfully revered father of African independence and unity”.

Combining a unique speaking style, with unembarrassed displays of public emotion, Dr Kaunda proved himself a shrewd politician, endlessly adjusting his cabinet to maintain a balance between the competing ethnic groups. Nevertheless, it was the economy that was to prove his undoing.

Foreign debt exploded after 1973’s surge in global oil prices combined with the crash in copper – Zambia’s principal export – to create an unsustainable increase in the cost of living.

However, gains were also made over the same period, Dr Chitiyo cautioned: “Kaunda also deserves credit for the government’s deep and sustained investment in education, health and infrastructure after independence. Zambia’s economy was nearly 100 per cent foreign-owned at independence; Kaunda was a driving force in pushing Zambians to take charge of their own destiny.”

Dissatisfaction culminated in 1990, when, after 27 years of one-party rule, economic misery sparked three days of rioting which left 27 people dead and 150 arrested. 

In a further indication of how low public affection for their president had sunk, it came with the public celebrations that followed the false rumours of a coup the same year. Given the climate, Dr Kaunda’s defeat in Zambia’s first multi-party elections the following year in 1991 was inevitable.

However, as well as his role as a campaigner against colonialism, as notable was Kaunda’s highly personal campaign against Aids.

While others preferred to avoid the subject, not least in the early days of the disease, Kaunda proved himself a fiercely outspoken advocate of measures to contain the disease after his son, Masuzyo, succumbed in 1986, a tragedy shared by many across the continent.

“This is the biggest challenge for Africa. We must fight Aids and we must do so now,” he said in 2002. “We fought colonialism. We must now use the same zeal to fight Aids, which threatens to wipe out Africa.

Dr Chitiyo said, referencing the generation of political pioneers Kaunda’s generation had produced: “Internationally, in Africa and beyond, there is a deep sense of loss. Kaunda is one of the last generation of African nationalists who led their countries to independence in the Sixties.

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“A gifted orator, he is seen in Africa and beyond as a touchstone figure in mid-20th century Pan-Africanism, which, in turn, has resonance with contemporary 21st Pan-Africanism and global black identity.

“At the time Kaunda lost the 1991 elections, he was unpopular but his persecution and prosecution by his successor Frederick Chiluba actually revived Kaunda’s popularity at home and abroad and he settled in to the role he was born to play; as Zambia, and Africa’s, elder statesman.”

He leaves behind him a proud, if flawed political legacy, but his imprint upon the continent he fought for throughout his life remains indelible.