 You can kill us. Zambians will be born out of our blood. We will continue to fight. We are such a people. If you have got back it's famous. One Zambia. Here. Chabira Ichin. Chabiransu Chiyunipnit. He is said to be the founding father of Zambia. On the African continent is known to have provided refuge for most regional liberation struggle leaders like Nelson Mandela. Living out Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia's history would be a serious omission. Those were born in the immediate post independence era up until 1991 only new doctor Kaunda as the only Zambian president ever. Such was the stay at the helm of power in Zambia. Doctor Kaunda was at the helm of Zambian politics for 27 years from the aftermath of independence in 1964. For most Zambians and the world over is fondly known as KK. Only mass public opinion could dislodging from power and it came as a surprise. It made headlines then when the outside world least expected. Credit is given to the winds of democratic change of the 1990s which traversed the African continent. At least the strongman of Zambian politics was no longer what had been perceived then to be wamuyayaya a local word meaning eternity. But who is KK? His life in politics dates back to 1953 when he was appointed secretary general of the African National Congress and the presidency of Harimwangan Kumbola but he would become the eventual head of the new state of Zambia at 1964. KK's life in politics is one marked with ups and downs like any other. In the pre independence era he spent some time in jail because of his anti-colonialism ideologies. To dates KK has gone down in the history of Zambia and Africa as one who championed the struggle against white oppression both locally and across borders. In the then northern Rhodesia KK took the struggle to the apex forcing the British to negotiate their exits. Public civil disobedience characterized this constitutional struggle as freedom for the black man. This was alongside an armed struggle famously known as Cha Cha Cha and in the pre October 24 days the struggle paid off. The British succumbed agreeing to negotiate their exit at Lancaster House in London. Finally October 24th 1964 Zambia was born and KK became the first indigenous leader of the newly born nation in the southern African hemisphere. However KK continued his independent struggle this time beyond the Zambian borders. He worked day and night in this providing support and refuge to other fleeing African freedom struggle leaders. Zambia does not have the capacity to strike back at the enemy because the enemy has been prepared for the last 60 70 years in South Africa for the last 54 years in Rhodesia. What's more centuries behind them coming from the western countries best interest. That is the correct analysis of the problem and unless you understand it in this way you will be misled by the enemy. The enemy is bent on destroying your Morero. Zambians, we in Zambia are peaceful people, peace-loving. I challenge anyone to say today here that Zambia is a warmongering nation I met John Foster the arch fastest and resist on the bridge in search of peace I failed. I failed. Josh Onkomu came here and said he was going to make another try I said Josh you are done, this thing is dirty. He said I must try. I said you are a free man. He went to Salisbury for weeks he was there. He failed. He was in search of peace. Ian Smith has come here and I knew I would be subject to misunderstanding by my colleagues in frontline countries by my colleagues in the continent by my colleagues and others in her world. I have allowed Smith to come here on a number of occasions in search of peace but I am a man with clear conscience God is hearing me I can never sell out that thing. Never. Not me, not this boys here not this girls here we are men and women of principle we have done all these things in search of peace but it has to be genuinely peace based on genuine majority rule everything else you can give us Zambians will be born out of our blood will continue to fight in search of people. Zambia and its leadership devoted effort resources much more so humility to aiding neighboring countries to liberate themselves. This however came at a great cost such as becoming a country of target by colonial military forces and of course the loss of lives. To this day the old generations tell tier dropping stories of the eventual effects of this cross boundary freedom struggle campaign on the international front. KK traveled widely meeting world leaders in negotiations all in search of freedom for African countries. He was very convinced that Africans were capable of running their own affairs therefore he called for an end to colonial rule on the continent. Smith is a rebel he will always remain a rebel he will go down in history as a rebel a killer, a murderer the only reason why he is still there is that he is white that's not the reason why he is there if Smith had been implicated the day he declared UTI he would have received British troops that have arrested him and charged him with treason and tried him but because of his rich stock he has made his way for the last time and he has been allowed to get away with it. To this effect Zambia and KK have an indelibo place in the history chapters of countries such as South Africa Namibia, Zimbabwe and other neighbouring countries We in Zambia do not accept most times decision to make it world's best which is part and parcel of Namibia as part and parcel of South Africa we don't accept that indeed that is there like Robert he is of course what is here but Robert we don't accept that as we age the international community and survive that there is not much reaction from the people that is decisions of that matter they became white world's best belongs to the people of Namibia KK knew very well that Zambia was never free if its neighbours were still under colonial rule and when peace for means seemed to be failing it is argued that KK did give a listening ear to proponents of armed struggle now it exhausted the channel of talking now there is only one option left that is for the majority of the people to take up arms in Odiji and fight it out with smith's but remember that also aims the chances of farmers in Odiji getting compensation that also aims the chances of white farmers white civil servants or even black civil servants getting compensation and pensions etc industrialists will lose out that is the end because now compensation pensions will be settled on the battlefield therefore by the 1980s most of Zambia's neighbours were free from colonial rule Back home in the aftermath of independence KK pursued an authoritarian rule following the violence of 1968 KK uploaded other political parties with the exception of his unit it promigated what came to be known as the one party democracy matched to its advantage I think it is a great discouragement to my party by taking this a very capable young man to be put in detention and of course it has caused inconveniences to my party but I expected this and I think there may be many more inconveniences to my party but this should not mean to stop the train that has been put into motion by the wishes of the people of this country we feel we must go ahead even if some of our leaders are going to be detained in fact this was done by the British and one of those was detained for one year and when I came back I continued and we won our victory and therefore in this case this is not a remedy to the mistakes the government has committed I feel that even if all the central committee of our party was detained the masses will be in a position to find another set of leadership to guard them until we come back and therefore I am not frightened and I know the government and I heard that they were planning to kill my party in its infasi they will create a lot of cases to pin on my party and this was long before it was born and therefore I am prepared for these hardships the high cost of living as well as the general deteriorating living conditions gave rise to public outrage and for droughts it was these challenges that led to the formation of the movement for multi-part democracy MMD as cause for the introduction of multi-partism in Zambia continued to grow okrasi movement which you have started is irreversible and unstoppable nobody will stop this this has to continue now the pro-democracy movement the democracy this is my fundamental right it is the freedom and I am prepared to die for it kwaia bantum bale ukusalapo nga bale fogu tuadira nechironga ino chimona una fimbifika leba pokulachi infianya kwaia kuluana ifogu puisha ema chuishi bela unfomun so yo tulia fie kuntanshi kumuachuni na tekwaishu akumule kumuachuni na tumkulu siyamafumu yawa bai 1990 KK had no choice except to give in to winds of change ashering in a new era of multi-part democracy and elections and on December 17th 1990 KK signed the bill for the reintroduction to multi-partism in Zambia I want to say that I'm doing this very very happy indeed because I want to believe that this is the wish of the people of Zambia that we should go multi-party once again needless for me to point out that our experience in our first republic in so far as much partisan is concerned was a very sad one there's still some funny idea in some circles that we should form an interim government before elections I dismiss that with the contempt it deserves UNIP is a freely elected government through the mandate of the people we lead the country we administer the country and administer it in a most civilized way where man is central man as God made him we have made man our own image as God's declaration so apart from the principles the principles which guide us we run a civilized government here by those principles we still are mindful that what we do today others will emulate tomorrow those who rise by the sword will perish by the sword this has come out several times on this continent and elsewhere so I'm very proud myself to contribute or be in itchiness more way to this type of civilized society reconstruction so these men and women who run this government run it in a democratic way run it in a civilized way and so there's no question at all of anyone imposing an interim government on us to bring in, they want to come into power through the back door they are now frightened of the electorate UNIP has got back its famous chisoko and everybody one Zambia Chabuera Ichin I'm glad therefore to take this opportunity to say now those who want to form their small parties most welcome provided they know that we want peace in Zambia peace, stability unity and development this fellow is signing on behalf of 8 and half million Zambians date of ascent is 17th December 1990 this was to mark end of KK's reign at the summit of Zambian politics leaving the trade to a new era of upcoming politicians the MMD embarked on a country-wide campaign as a promised democracy and to improve the living standards of majority Zambians elections were called and Kaunda and its UNIP only managed 20% of the votes or the opposition under Ferdik Chilova got erased of the votes credit is however given to KK for conceding defeat in the first multi-party democratic elections of 1991 this is the nature of multi-party politics you win some and you lose some elections the whole thing is a new ball game to me and I'm waiting for the experts to tell me here is where you start now and your elder brother Kaunda ends there and I'll pick it up following these events Zambia has ended itself an international recognition as being a heaven of peace after conducting a peaceful transition unwinding the clock many years later life after the presidency was not very smooth for KK he was incarcerated before on charges of treason in the political drama that ensued the democratic changes of 1991 then Dr. Kaunda was detained for months and pressure was mounting for the release of Dr. Kaunda for prison former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere fought hard to ensure KK was released from prison and his efforts finally pent off and so I listened to my elder statesman and they are saying keep him away from prison so I called an emergency cabinet meeting last night and I informed them and we agreed that we will not keep him in prison we will move him from there and restrict him in his own house so that the former faced lady doesn't have difficulties in seeing my dear elder brother Dr. Kaunda he will consequently be restricted in his own home but there are conditions on this restriction and I hope he cooperates because if he doesn't we may be compelled to take him back to where he thinks he must stay our lawyers have assured us that we have got a very good case and they are going to battle it out their full capacity so even as we discussed from here I appreciate you to discuss and let us meet again on Tuesday I promised they made about accountability about transparency about governance good governance all these things they forgotten them this was coupled with other dramatic developments such as his being declared stateless today all these events are such that they make KK's life full of drama amid is retained recognition as the founding father of Zambia even as the sun sets on his life without doubt KK has a disfair share of contribution to laying the foundation of what makes Zambia what it is today