His Excellency, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, is the first president of the Republic of Zambia and vice chairperson of the Champions for an HIV-Free Generation.
Mr. Kaunda served as president from 1964 until he stepped down in 1991. He became president of the Zambia African National Union from 1958 through 1959.
When civil disorder led to banning of this party, Kaunda was jailed for a period of nine months. On his release he became president of the new United National Independence party in 1960. He formed a coalition government with the ANC and served as minister of local government and social welfare in 1962. In October 1964, the new nation of Zambia was born with Kaunda at its head.
In 1999, Kaunda was stripped of his Zambian citizenship after a petition challenging his nationality by members of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy. In 2000, Kaunda handed over the leadership of the United National Independence Party, the main opposition party, ending a political career that spanned more than four decades. Near the end of that year, Kaunda was given back Zambian citizenship when the court case was withdrawn. Patrick Katyoka, one of those who brought the challenge, formally withdrew it, saying he and his party colleagues believed Kaunda was a statesman who deserved respect.
