GUEST ARTICLE: President Lungu Funeral
By Dickson Jere
The death of Zambia’s 6th President Edgar Chagwa Lungu presents two unique scenarios for the country, government and family. Unlike the three former Presidents who passed before him – Kenneth Kaunda (KK), Frederick Chiluba (FTJ) and Rupiah Banda (RB) – the death of President Lungu is different in two ways;
1. He is the first former President to die outside Zambia;
2. He is the first former President to die while his benefits had been withdrawn.
So, the country has never experienced this before. Therefore, the standoff between the family and the state is somehow understood given the circumstances. However, there is need for compromise.
The first former President to die was Chiluba. I was in government then and was deeply involved in that process. He died at home in Zambia. I remember I had to persuade President Banda to address the nation while we were in Chipata to announce the death at a makeshift studio at Mamarula Lodge. Everything went smooth because President Banda and Chiluba had reconciled and became close buddies. (Chiluba had locked up RB on treason charges).
The second former President to die was Kaunda. At that time, Edgar Lungu was President. Their relationship was superb and therefore easy to navigate between the government and the family. The only difference was the burial site, which was later resolved and KK was buried at Presidential Embassy Park.
The third former President to die was Banda. I was, once again, heavily involved in that process. President Banda was in good books with the newly elected President Hakainde Hichilema and so everything went smooth between government and the family. I may add, RB was so organized in his life that he even left “Pre-Burial Will” that stated some of the things to happen at his funeral. (I have since borrowed that ingenious idea).
Now, take note.
All these three former Presidents at their death had a running Office financed by the state with government staff. They coordinated all the activities. Simply, a former President’s whereabouts was always known by government through this office. When they traveled, Zambian Ambassadors received them at airport and coordinated movements. Dignity!
However, with President Lungu, this office was shut down on account of being active in politics, which is proscribed by the Benefits of Former Presidents Act. So, he literally did his things outside government involvement. That was unique situation. Hence the current quagmire.
I have always advocated that a former President should be treated as such whether he is in active politics or not. He accrued his benefits. USA does that. South Africa does that. They give state security and all benefits to former Presidents regardless of the status. In fact, the best example is how ECL and HH treated RB. They even allowed him to use the Presidential Plane for his movement. That was smart of ECL and HH!
What should we do?
One thing you cannot take away is that Lungu was President and Commander In-Chief of Armed Forces. He must be given his full military honours. We must allow our Defense Forces to send off their commander with full military honours. He must get his last Presidential gun-salute, fly-past and Guard of Honour. He accrued those rights! His casket must be placed on the gun carriage with his number plate GRZ P6 as was done to others! It is our pride and it is our responsibility to honour him!
So, while I sympathize with the position taken by family, I opt to take a different view. They must reluctantly let go on some of the military rituals to honour the man. He is state property. Allow his troops to take charge – a Commander is always a Commander! He actually proudly even wore their uniform! Choice of Preacher and all can easily be reconciled as was done with FTJ, KK and RB.
Remember that his colleagues – Presidents and former Presidents from different countries – may want to attend the funeral. It will require government involvement to handle such visitors.
Further, we do not even have a precedent on how to repatriate the remains of a former President. This is the first time. President Levy Mwanawasa and Michael Sata died in office and therefore it was easy to navigate the repatriation. They were sitting Presidents.
Lastly, it is high time we put in place a Statute that will govern the “Funeral and Memorial Services” of our former leaders. We cannot be having standoffs each time we have such a funeral or memorial. The law must define the role of the state in funeral arrangements, burial sites and rites for such ceremonies. For now, everything is guess work plus a mere policy and guidelines. We must learn. We have lost six Presidents thus far.
Kalemba June 8, 2025
It’s hard to deal with Streetwise PF who do not seem to see logic in everything they do. Sata had told the nation that he had surrounded himself with useless people in his party. Most of them had just joined him in order to get into government and loot. Most of them were Street dwellers and the few educated ones were alcolics. As time went on Sata become the president and Minister carrying all his appointees on his back. In short, he was doing most of their jobs. Literally spelling out in detail what they were supposed to be doing to every single minister. They forced Sata to his early grave. Then came Lungu, he made things worse by adding more lunatics to his cabinet. They had no idea what to do in government. These hyenas knew Lungu’s weaknesses. They would sing praise for him and that was enough to get away with murder. They manipulated Lungu to his death. Even in his death, they don’t care. To make things worse they have managed to manipulate the PF MP daughter as well and are dying for a fight to cause chaos over funeral arrangements. Instead of mourning Lungu peacefully and look to the future they want to use Lungu’s funeral to cause so much confusion and frustrate everyone. These hyenas have nothing that they can do apart from chaos. The caders & Street kids were introduced to create maximum fear in citizens to cause confusion and make everyone lose hope. PF given an opportunity they still want to go back their. In their grouping there’s no one normal to control anything.
Mwanawasa died in a hospital in France.
They were still in office.I mean Mwanawasa and Sata.Read again sir
@Malikopo the writer is talking about former Presidents.
Sata was in office when he passed on! Read and understand pls.
Mwanawasa.
Bitterness at it’s highest older from PF criminals
This anger will not help us.A meeting for complaints can be done later and resolved amicably.For now let us work on what needs to be done.Mr Zulu please call for counseling staff to to do that to the family of President Lungu.You are the lawyer you can do better on legal matters.People who mourn may be hard to handle.Mwamba being brought in this matter will not help but will instead agitate further misunderstanding.It is not good to propagate confusion at funerals.
Dickson that’s a good advice you have given to ECL family I hope they will get it.
Dickson Jere says ECL was denied benefits for what he worked as President because of his return to active politics. My question to him is: Did ECL come out of active politics by the time he was dying? So, why is he now being accorded a state funeral when he never came out of active politics before he died. Does the law say you can deny a former President who comes back into politics retirement benefits but can only accord him state courteous in his death despite not having come out of active politics at the time of his death? Why did you not speak of ECL as state property when he was not allowed by government to travel to South Africa for treatment? Could it be you feared defending ECL as state property when he was alive and was not being allowed to South Africa for treatment? Are you defending the remains of ECL as state poperty because it is now convenient to you to do so?
I meant to write “courtesies” and not “courteous.”