Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth Kaunda Kaunda during an official visit to the United States in 1983 1st President of Zambia In office 24 October 1964 – 2 November 1991 Preceded by British Colonial Governor Succeeded by Frederick Chiluba 3rd Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement In office 8 September 1970 – 5 September 1973 Preceded by Gamal Abdel Nasser Succeeded by Houari Boumédienne Personal details Born (1924-04-28) 28 April 1924 (age 90) Chinsali, Northern Rhodesia Nationality Zambian Political party UNIP Spouse(s) Betty Kaunda Children 8 Profession Teacher Religion Presbyterian Kenneth Kaunda, 1970 Kenneth David Kaunda (born 28 April 1924), also known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991. Kaunda is the youngest of eight children born to an ordained Church of Scotland missionary and teacher. He followed his father's steps in becoming a teacher. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissatisfied with Nkumbula's leadership of the African National Congress, he broke away and founded the Zambian African National Congress, later becoming the head of the United National Independence Party. He was the first President of the independent Zambia. From 1968, all political parties except UNIP were banned. At the same time, Kaunda oversaw the acquisition of majority stakes in key foreign-owned companies. The oil crisis of 1973 and a slump in export revenues put Zambia in a state of economic crisis. International pressure forced Kaunda to change the rules that had kept him in power. Multi-party elections took place in 1991, in which Frederick Chiluba, the leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, ousted Kaunda. Kaunda was briefly stripped of Zambian citizenship in 1999 but the decision was overturned the following year.