Kenneth Kaunda Day: A Tribute to a Father of the Nation
Fellow citizens,
Today, the 28th of April, we gather as one people to honour the life and legacy of our Founding Father, Dr. Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda.
In August 2021, this day was enshrined as a public holiday, not merely as a date on our calendars, but as a living reminder of the sacrifices, dreams, and hopes of a man who gave his all so that we might live in freedom and dignity.
President Kaunda was more than a leader; he was the soul of our nation’s conscience. A tireless advocate for unity, peace, reconciliation, and love, not just within our borders, but across the African continent. His belief in the preservation of our culture and heritage was profound, knowing that a people anchored in their identity would stand firm through the tides of time.
Today, as we pause to reflect, let us summon the spirit of unity that Dr. Kaunda so passionately nurtured. Let us renew our vows to peace, to reconciliation, and to the hard work and sacrifice that freedom demands.
May we love our neighbor, as he loved all of humanity. May we cherish our national identity, as he so carefully preserved it. And may we, in our own time, be worthy heirs to the noble legacy he bequeathed us.
May the spirit of Kenneth Kaunda live on in every Zambian heart.
May God bless his memory, and may God bless our beloved Zambia.
Happy Kenneth Kaunda Day!
Hakainde Hichilema,
President of the Republic of Zambia
Mr. President, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda is not a father of the nation, he is THE FATHER of the nation.
You have correctly referred to him as OUR FOUNDING FATHER. He is in a class of his own despite the mistakes he made in the later days of his reign. There is only ONE father of the nation.