The Zambian government has announced Kenneth Kaunda, the country’s founding president, died at the age of 97 on Thursday, days after he was admitted to hospital for medical treatment, reported Africa News.
Popularly known as KK, Kaunda was being treated for pneumonia at the Maina Soko Medical Centre, a military hospital in Lusaka.
His son, Kambarage Kaunda announced the death of the Zambian founding president in a Facebook post. He urged people to pray for his father whom he called Mzee.
“I am sad to inform we have lost Mzee,” Kaunda’s son wrote, using a Swahili term of respect for an elder. “Let’s pray for him.”
In a televised address to the nation, Cabinet secretary Simon Miti said Kaunda died peacefully at 2:30 pm (1230 GMT) at a military hospital where he had been receiving treatment since Monday.
Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu said he learnt about Kaunda’s death with “great sadness”.
“On behalf of the entire nation and on my own behalf, I pray that the entire Kaunda family is comforted as we mourn our first president and true African icon,” President Lungu said in a message on his Facebook page.
The Zambian government has declared 21 days of national mourning, ordered flags to fly at half-mast, and banned all entertainment in honor of the deceased former president.
Kaunda ruled Zambia for 27 years. He came to power after the country gained independence from Britain in 1964. He led the country until 1991 when he was defeated in an election following the introduction of multiparty politics.
The former president led and hosted many mass movements fighting for black equality and independence in other countries around the region, including South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC).
Some even nicknamed Kaunda as “Africa’s Gandhi” for his non-violent and independence-related activities during the 1960s.
