Kenneth Kaunda: The Life of a Legendary African Liberation Hero

Sajeev Nair

The passing away of  Dr Kenneth David Kaunda on 17 June 2021, the first President of Zambia at the age of 97, who led the country under one party rule from 1964 to 1991  marked the end of an era of charismatic pan African/Liberation hero.  Kenneth Kaunda has been fondly called “KK” in Zambia and elsewhere. He was hailed as a fire brand liberation leader and statesman.  KK was in the forefront of liberation struggle against the British colonial rule in Zambia, which was called Northern Rhodesia.  KK was also an ardent supporter of liberation movements not only in front line states in the region viz, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, etc. but also in other parts of the developing world.

After the independence of Zambia from Britain in 1964,  KK embraced  the popular socialist model  of five  year development plans, forced nationalization of major mining and private sector enterprises that led to expansive  state ownership of most  sectors of the economy. Under his socialist economic model, the country devoted vast resources drawn from copper mining to the public sector to improve education, health, defence, roads, rail, transport and other infrastructure and set the foundations for today’s Zambia. 

During his presidency, KK had placed enormous importance to education, skill development and health facilities, through deliberate polices such as free school education, bursaries and scholarships for university education – both for studying in Zambia and abroad, recruitment of large number of expatriate teachers, doctors and engineers to support the building of a new nation.  The University of Zambia was established in 1966, which was the first tertiary education institution in Zambia, under his guidance. He is also credited with “one Zambia, one nation” motto under which the country was unified by promoting peace and co-existence among 72 tribes in Zambia and English remained as the lingua franca and administrative language used for education, law and commerce.

With the dwindling popularity for one party  rule and the declining economic performance, and huge shortages of essential goods under the public sector driven economy and the resultant social discontentment in Zambia during the late 1980s,  KK was forced to introduce a multiparty democracy and retire from active politics.  General elections held in 1991 brought an end to one party rule of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) Government, and the country embraced a multi-party system along with economic liberalization and privatization of the economy. At personal level and as a leader, KK’s  charisma and intolerance for dissent helped him to remain in power.  The UNIP could not return to power since then and has remained a marginal political party.

KK’s birth, social moulding

KK was born in 1924 in Lubwa Mission, a Scottish origin Presbyterian missionary denomination in Chinsali, Northern Zambia. Both his parents were missionaries and teachers by profession.  Like his parents, Kaunda also took up the school teaching profession in the then Northern Rhodesia and also in Tanganyika (present day Tanzania) during the most part of 1940s. It is believed that KK was attracted to “Ubuntu” political philosophy of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of then Tanganyika and other African freedom movements during his teaching days. He also experienced social, economic and racial discrimination of Africans by the colonial authorities particularly in the mining township, where he was a school teacher.

KK’s association with liberation movements

During the early 1950s KK was one of the founding leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) in Northern Rhodesia and worked as its Secretary General. In 1958, he became disenchanted with ANC and established the Zambia African National Union (ZANU), a firebrand liberation movement.  ZANU was banned by the colonial government in 1959 after an upsurge in civil disobedience, that led to the conviction of KK for nine months in jail. After KK was released in 1960, he became the president of the newly formed United National Independence Party (UNIP) and later he was elected to the Legislative Council under its banner for self-rule.

During the early 1960s, KK was inspired and attracted to the  principles of Martin Luther King Jr and also Mahatma Gandhi and his political vision got a new emphasis of nonviolence wherever possible, reconciliation with white Settlers in Southern Africa and also  finding pragmatic ways for attaining Independence from British rule.  Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. And Mahatma Gandhi, he organised  a civil disobedience campaign, known as the Cha-cha-cha campaign. However, participants in this campaign also engaged in arson and blocking major roadways.  In October 1964, Zambia won its independence and KK became the first president.

KK’s Government also allowed liberation movements from Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to establish military bases, training camps, refugee centres and administrative offices in Zambia. This came at considerable economic cost to Zambia, which also endured military raids from the South Africans and Rhodesians.

Nonviolence and Embracing Vegetarianism – Gandhian principles

KK has been known for his strictly vegetarian food habits and he often stated that vegetarian food had helped him to be in good health and live longer. According to BBC, one of his earlier first political acts was to become a vegetarian in protest against a policy that forced Africans to go to a separate window at butchers’ to buy meat, and it was in the 1950s. Speaking in 2002 , Kaunda said vegetarian diet had helped him maintain good health even at the age of 78. “Try it…taste how it is without meat, chicken, eggs, and fish,” he said. “There is no doubt that my diet has helped me to reach this far” (The Post, 13 March 2002).

In 1962 New York Times reported that “early in his political career, Kenneth Kaunda, African political leader of Northern Rhodesia, read writings of Gandhi that he said “went straight to my heart.” Since then he has advocated and practiced nonviolence (“A Disciple of Gandhi: Kenneth Kaunda Son of a Missionary,” The New York Times, 18 April 1962).  

Fall out of KK’s support to Liberation struggle and co-operation with China

Zambia’s active support for liberation movements in Southern Africa under KK also brought about immediate challenges to the new nation. In 1965 Ian Smith of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) whose Rhodesian Front party opposed an immediate transfer of power to black majority rule unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom.   Since Zambia played an active role as a front-line state, it had to face anger from Ian Smith. Being landlocked, the Smith regime tried to dissuade Zambia out of the liberation struggle by cutting the only outlet to the sea ports and road to South Africa, passing through Southern Rhodesia.

Under the circumstances KK and Nyerere realized that the North East Rail route linking Zambia to Dar es Salaam port was the only other way for Zambia to maintain economic and political independence, despite the earlier feasibility studies that did not support the viability of the project. In 1970, China agreed to provide Tanzania and Zambia an interest free loan repayable in thirty years totaling Yuan 988 million to cover costs of constructing the line and supporting infrastructure Construction of the rail line at Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia, started in October 1970 and it was successfully opened in 1976.  This project became not only  another laurel on  KK’s cap of working with Chairman Mao, but also the beginning of new era of economic co-operation between Zambia and China.  The China- Zambia cooperation reached new levels since then and it is continuing even today.

Economic Development of Zambia under KK during 1964- 1991

In 1968, KK’s regime introduced the Mulungushi Reforms, in which he planned to acquire major shares in foreign-owned firms in order to boost the economy. He managed to acquire shares in the Anglo American Corporation and the Rhodesia Selection Trust, consolidated the two companies, and called the new company Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines (NCCM). In 1969, at huge cost, KK nationalized the copper mines, which accounted for 90 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings then. But the price of copper collapsed, the oil import bill went up, and the economy, already weakened, was soon in serious shape by the mid-1970s. 

The performance of Zambian economy under the parastatal ownership and also the import substitution model did not give much solace. The economic situation began to deteriorate further during the 1980s and soaring external debt and balance of payment crisis. Although an ardent critic of IMF, KK had to accept IMF conditionality in 1989 and introduce economic reforms to access support to maintain financial stability of the country, when the country faced food shortages and a balance of payment crisis.

Zambia’s Foreign Policy under KK

KK’s ardent opposition to imperialism, colonialism and racialism coupled with his crave of socialist economic and political ideology- obviously brought him to the Non alignment movement (NAM).

The Third Summit Meeting of Non-aligned countries was hosted by KK in Lusaka in 1970. The meeting not only brought members of NAM but also a large number of liberation movements, and observers from many countries. It was reported that total direct cost expended on the non-aligned conference in Lusaka was over USD 15 million that amounts to almost one third of total government expenditure on development projects for the financial year (of 1970). That shows the importance given by Kaunda Government in hosting the NAM summit.

Kaunda helped lead the Non-Aligned Movement, which brought together states in Africa that did not align with either the Soviets or the Americans during the Cold War. He established relations  with all the countries that showed an interest in Zambia, including East European nations,  Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, Cuba’s Fidel Castro while also cultivating successive American presidents such as  Jimmy Carter and  Ronald Reagan.

KK also worked closely with OAU (Organization for African Unity), and maintained close working relations with the erstwhile Soviet Union, China, India, Cuba and also many east European countries.  He also maintained good relations with Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and others.

India maintained good relations with Zambia under KK since its independence.  Indira Gandhi visited Zambia in 1964,  1970 and 1976; and Presidents V.V. Giri and Sanjiva Reddy in 1974 and 1981 respectively. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi undertook a visit in 1986 and President Venkataraman in 1989.

Long after out of power as president, Kaunda continued to be warmly received in African capitals because of his role in allowing liberation movements and also his stature as a peace maker. KK’s powerful personality helped make Zambia a major player in Africa and the world despite it being a small country for three decades.

Nevertheless, he continued to work for a settlement in Rhodesia, and had meetings with South African leaders. He provided safe haven to political exiles from South Africa in his country, and clashed with UK in Commonwealth over opposition to sanctions against the apartheid regime.

KK was coming under increasing pressure both from inside Zambia and from the wider world to introduce multi-party democracy in 1991. From the moment that campaigning began, it was clear that UNIP party of KK was not in good standing, and there was little surprise when the voters rejected his party in favour of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy.

But KK still wielded great influence in Zambia and the new government perceived him as a threat. In 1996 reports of him trying to run for Zambia presidency again landed KK  in  big trouble in the ensuing  years, declaring him as stateless, house arrest and court cases, threatened deportation  due to conflict with parentage clauses in the amended constitution and also the suspicious killing  of one of his  sons. All these developments made him retire from active politics. After his retirement from politics, Kaunda worked towards fighting HIV/AIDS. During 1980s, one of his sons died of AIDS, which influenced him a lot to work on HIV prevention.

Obviously, KK was the last remaining patriarch of the 20th century pan African movement. KK has died, but his principles and ideals will not die for generations to come.

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Sajeev Nair has been actively engaged in economic policy research in Zambia for over two decades.