KAUNDA WAS A GREAT PATRIOT WHO LOVED HIS PEOPLE PROFOUNDLY - PRESIDENT BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has described Zambia's founding father and independence nationalist Kenneth Kaunda as "one of the greatest African and world leaders of all time who loved his country and people profoundly."

Reacting to Kaunda's death at the age of 97, the President said "I have received his passing with great shock because I knew his contributions to the development of not only Zambia but also Africa at large.”

According to President Buhari, “we can't forget in a hurry how Kaunda gave shelter to anti-apartheid freedom fighters from South Africa and from former Rhodesia."

The Nigerian leader noted that "the late Kaunda was one of the loudest voices for the liberation of Africa from colonialism and imperialism and he did so with passion and sincerity. It is impossible to reflect on Kaunda's legacy without acknowledging his selflessness and passion for service."

President Buhari extended his condolences and that of the nation to the family, the government and people of Zambia over Kaunda's death.

ZAMBIA GOVERNMENT MOURN KAUNDA
It is with deep REGRET and sorrow that His Excellency Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia announces to the nation and the international community, the passing of our beloved founding father, icon and global statesman, His Excellency Dr Kenneth David Kaunda, First President of the Republic of Zambia.

Dr Kaunda who was admitted to Maina Soko Medical Centre in Lusaka died peacefully this afternoon at 14:30 hours.

His Excellency the President has since declared 21 days of national mourning in honour of the late Dr. Kaunda.

During this period, all activities of entertainment nature are suspended with immediate effect and all flags will fly at half mast.

The Government, through Cabinet Office, will guide the public on the details of the Funeral and Burial Programme for the First President, taking into consideration the COVID-19 guidelines as prescribed by the Ministry of Health.

His Excellency the President wishes to express, on behalf of the Government and the people of Zambia and indeed on his own behalf, the deepest condolences to the family of Dr Kaunda.

May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.

Dear KK,

I learnt of your passing this afternoon with great sadness. You have gone at a time we least expected but we are comforted that you are now with Our Father, God Almighty in heaven.

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.

May the soul of Dr Kenneth David Kaunda Rest In Eternal Peace.

I am deeply saddened by the passing on of former Zambian President and foremost Pan-Africanist Dr. Kenneth Kaunda who died today at the age of 97 years.

Not only was he of very great significance to Africa’s struggle for liberation he was also quite significant to me. I met him as a much younger politician and I am glad to have maintained a close relationship with the great sage.

Kaunda was a specimen of the highest level of patriotism. He was also a strong promoter of Pan-Africanism, an idea that has reached maturity with the African Continental Free Trade Area, which itself was a product of the vision of men and women like Mr. Kaunda.

His life was a pattern of good works, and his post Presidential work in providing relief for HIV/AIDS patients, as well as promoting practices and measures to curb the spread of the virus are remembered.

During my time as the Governor of Bayelsa State in 2006, Pa Kaunda visited and spent two days with us in Yenagoa, because of our shared interest in the protection of our peoples against the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

I recall with relish the impressive pace displayed by Kaunda, then aged 82 years, at the symbolic Three Arms Walk for HIV/AIDS on the streets of Yenagoa.

He visited me a couple of times when I was in office as President of Nigeria. We last saw each other in 2016 when I visited him while I was in Zambia as Head of African Union (AU) Election Observation Mission.

He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered across the entire continent.

On behalf of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation and my family, I condole with the government and people of the Republic of Zambia on the passing of their foremost founding father.

I pray for fortitude to his immediate family.
- GEJ.

Former President Kenneth Kaunda was the last of his generation that epitomised the liberation struggle on the African continent. His passing away is the end of an era. We remain eternally grateful for his services to Zambia and the continent. May his soul rest in peace.

Kenneth Kaunda stood with us Kenyans during our independence struggle against the British and had close working ties with both Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Odinga.

My heartfelt condolences go to the people of Zambia following the passing of their founding president who was a peace loving person who had amicable relations with most persons and nations.

May Mzee Kaunda Rest In Eternal Peace.

It is with an indescribable sense of loss that I learnt of the passing of H.E. Kenneth Kaunda, first president of the Republic of Zambia and one of the Founding Fathers of the Organisation of African Unity. My deepest condolences to his family, the people & Govt of #Zambia.

Saddened to hear of the demise of Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, a respected world leader and statesman. My deepest condolences to his family and the people of Zambia.

Good night Cde President, Dr Kenneth Kaunda.������

I have learnt with shock of the death of our elder, Mzee Kenneth Kaunda. Although God has blessed him with many years of life, departing at 97 years, since his brain was still sharp, we could have had more years of his wisdom.

Nevertheless, Mzee KK, as he was fondly called, made a big contribution in his life. He fought for Zambia's independence and he made a big contribution to the freedom struggle of the liberation of the subcontinent of Southern Africa.

Here, I am referring to the liberation of Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. In the late 60s for instance, I remember he enabled FRELIMO to open the third front in Tete Province of Mozambique.

This was in addition to the active Fronts of Cabo Delgado and Niassa which took the fight to the rear of the Portuguese colonialists and had a decisive impact in the defeat of the Portuguese in 1974.

Lusaka had representation from most of the Liberation movements in Southern Africa. He also welcomed Ugandan exiles, when we were fighting the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Many Ugandans got jobs and education in Zambia when they ran out of Uganda.

Therefore, in his long life, Mzee Kaunda made his contribution to the freedom of Africa. I salute his contribution and I salute his memory. May His soul rest in eternal peace.

I join all freedom-loving people in mourning Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's founding President. He's been one of the continent's few surviving independence heroes.
I send sympathies to the people of Zambia and the family of the deceased statesman. May his soul rest in perfect peace

I'm deeply saddened by the passing on of the First President of Zambia, H.E Kenneth Kaunda. Africa has lost a liberation fighter, patriot and true Pan-Africanist. My condolences to President @EdgarCLungu , the berieved family and all Zambians. May his soul rest in peace! Amen.

Goodbye to you President Kenneth Kaunda. I am and will always be a proud member of the "KK11" . Dignity & honor. May your dear soul rest in Eternal Peace, knowing the immense impact you made on all of us Zambians, Africans and World at large. Sincerest condolences to family.

Obasanjo: Kaunda’s Death Ends Africa’s Pioneers, Forefathers

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo says the death of Zambia’s founding president Kenneth Kaunda is the end of pioneers and forefathers “who led the struggles for decolonisation of the African continent and received the instrument of Independence from the colonial masters in Africa.”

His statement titled, “Gone Is The Last Of The Mohicans: Tribute to Kenneth Kaunda”, comes after the death of Kaunda, who passed on at the age of 97.

The former President said he had barely touched down in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when he was welcomed with the “sad news of the death of the first President of the Republic of Zambia.”

Obasanjo urged all Africans and friends of Africa to “take solace in the knowledge that President Kaunda has gone home to a well-deserved rest and to proudly take his place beside his brothers such as Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, Ahmed Sékou Touré of Guinea, Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d’Ivoire, Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Nelson Mandela of South Africa to name but a few.

“All of them, without exception, were nationalists who made sacrifices in diverse ways.”

Obasanjo said, “In December 2015, I visited President Kaunda at his home in Lusaka in what was to be our last meeting. As we discussed about everything from family to politics in our two countries and indeed in Africa generally, I asked him if the Africa that we have today is the Africa for which he and his contemporaries struggled and fought. President Kaunda was visibly pained in his response and at some point he broke down and wept. It was obvious to me how disappointed he was about some of the challenges that have plagued our continent for decades since independence.”

He added, “As we mourn President Kaunda, my prayer is that the death of this great African son and leader will remind us of the sacrifices that he and his contemporaries who fought for Africa’s independence made. Let it remind us of the vision that they had for Africa; their hopes and aspirations; their dream for a free, strong, united and prosperous Africa. Let us, African leaders and people, never let the labour of these heroes past be in vain.”

I have learnt of the demise of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, the founding father of the Republic of ��Zambia, a great statesman, and African leader.

Dr. Kaunda was Botswana’s best friend and together with the likes of Sir Seretse Khama, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere championed the liberation and independence of our region.

Former President Kaunda’s death is a loss to his compatriots in Zambia, their friends in Botswana, and the continent of Africa. We send our condolences to the people of Zambia during this trying time.

In honour of this great son of the soil, I have declared a seven-day mourning period in Botswana during which all flags shall fly at half-mast.

May his great soul rest in peace. �

From Lusaka we received the sad news of the passing of His Excellency Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, the first President of independent Zambia. We join President @EdgarCLungu and the people of Zambia in prayer for the eternal rest of the founding father of the Nation.

President Ramaphosa mourns passing of liberation giant President Kenneth “KK” Kaunda of the Republic of Zambia

President Cyril Ramaphosa has learned with great sadness of the passing of Kenneth “KK” Kaunda, Founding President of a post-colonial Republic of Zambia and unwavering champion of South Africa’s own liberation .

On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, President Ramaphosa extends his condolences to the Kaunda Family and the government and people of the Republic of Zambia.

President Kaunda passed away on Thursday, 17 June 2021, at the age of 97.

In remembrance of this great leader the South African Government has declared a period of mourning for 10 days with immediate effect.

Flags will be flown at half-mast at all flag stations.

Paying tribute to the fallen leader, President Ramaphosa said:

“This evening we bow our heads in grief at the passing of a beloved and rightfully revered father of African independence and unity – President Kenneth “KK” Kaunda.

“We are united in our sadness with the Kaunda family and the government and people of the Republic of Zambia.

“We are united in our sadness with the people of our region and continent, to whom Kenneth Kaunda’s leadership was a source of inspiration and resilience.

“President Kaunda dedicated his 97 long years to the liberation and service of the people of Zambia.

“He devoted himself and the Zambian people to supporting liberation movements around our region in their quest for independence and freedom.

“Steadfast against the intimidation of the apartheid state, he offered Lusaka as the headquarters of the African National Congress in exile.

“Under his leadership, Zambia provided refuge, care and support to liberation fighters who had been forced to flee the countries of their birth.

“He stood alongside the people of South Africa at the time of our greatest need and was unwavering in his desire for the achievement of our freedom.

“It was in honour of this remarkable contribution that the South African government bestowed on President Kaunda the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo in 2002.

“Kenneth Kaunda was a pioneering champion of a decolonised, united and prosperous Africa. He represented his country and continent with distinction on global platforms.

“Today we recommit ourselves to building the Africa of KK’s vision – an Africa of peace, justice, prosperity and innovation.

“President Kaunda was at our side to comfort us when we lost our leaders.

“We remember his moving tribute as we laid Madiba to rest in Qunu.

“Today, we place ourselves alongside Kenneth Kaunda’s family and the Zambian nation as they mourn this deep loss.

“As the South African nation, we will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude that we owe to President Kaunda.

“Nor will we ever forget that it was with the help of this extraordinary leader’s care and solidarity that our freedom and our democracy was won.

“May his soul rest in peace.”

Today Africa lost a true PANAFRICANIST, today we lost a distinguished son of AFRICA.

President Kaunda was my Hero. I learned so much from him. Post Presidency we travelled to Aids conferences together as members of the Former Presidents Africa Committee on the Fight Against HIV/AIDS.

May his soul rest in everlasting peace.

Good morning friends,

Gertrude and I are saddened by the news of the demise of our mentor and friend former President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda who has passed on yesterday June 17th after an episode of sickness at the Maina Soko Medical Centre in Lusaka.

Kaunda is a hero who fought very hard for the liberation of his people and the entire Africa. He put Africa and his people first; a thing that all leaders must emulate.

I join hands with Africa, Dr Lazarus Chakwera and my fellow Malawians as we condole the President of Zambia, the Kaunda family and the entire Zambia for their painful loss.

May God receive his gentle soul in eternal peace and tranquility.

MALAWI GOVERNMENT MOURNS - FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY
The Government of the Republic of Malawi has received with deep regret the sad news of the death of His Excellency Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, former President of the Republic of Zambia.

The Government and the people of the Republic of Malawi join the immediate family of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, the Government and people of the Republic of Zambia in mourning the passing of a great Statesman and Son of Africa.

Former President Kaunda will be remembered as one of the brave sons of Africa and founding Father of the Southern African Frontline States who diligently fought for the soveregnity of the African countries in general, and Zambia in particular.

His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi has since declared seven (7) days of national mourning, and has further directed that flags fly at half-mast during these days.

His Excellency the President will attend the funeral of the late Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda in Lusaka Zambia once the details of the funeral and burial programme are announced.

The Embassy of the State of Palestine extends its sympathy and grief over the sad demise of the legendary African icon and First President of the independent Republic of Zambia, H.E Kenneth Kaunda at the age of 97. May his soul rest in eternal peace.