Zambian president says Kaunda’s death should unite country

LUSAKA, June 18– Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Friday visited the funeral home of the country’s first president Kenneth Kaunda and said his death should unite the country. No one can speak about Zambia without recognizing the foundational role that he played in our statehood, “he said. He led Zambia from 1964 to 1991.

LUSAKA, June 18 (Xinhua) — Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Friday visited the funeral home of the country’s first president Kenneth Kaunda and said his death should unite the country.

The Zambian leader, who visited the funeral home in Lusaka, the country’s capital, said Kaunda’s death should enable the country to be united and embrace the “One Zambia, One Nation” mantra he espoused.

He said the life led by Kaunda should shape the country’s destiny, especially in the current trying times the country was facing.

According to him, the untimely death of Kaunda was a great loss not only to his family but to the entire country and Africa as a whole.

“Dr. Kaunda epitomizes the very existence of our country and of us as a nation. No one can speak about Zambia without recognizing the foundational role that he played in our statehood,” he said.

Kaunda, 97, died on Thursday. A 21-day mourning period has since been declared by the government. He led Zambia from 1964 to 1991. Enditem