KK’s Body To Be Buried Twice Following Complaint From Family

The body of the late First President Kenneth Kaunda will be buried twice - once at Embassy Park and later at State Lodge - in a compromise between the government and the wishes of his family.

Dr Kaunda’s son, Tilyenji, told Diamond TV that the family have agreed to a second burial after the president’s formal interment at the Presidential Burial Site on Thursday. He will later be buried at State Lodge next to his wife of 66 years, Betty. 

It follows a court injunction filed by another of Dr Kaunda’s sons, Kaweche, criticising the government’s decision to ignore the founding president’s wishes. Yesterday, Justice Minister Given Lubinda said that the injunction had not been upheld and that the state burial would be proceeding as planned, however Kaweche is appealing the decision. 

Kaweche maintains that it is illegal for the government to bury and then exhume the body of the founding president and has always insisted that his father be buried next to his mother, in accordance with KK’s wishes.

Disputes between the government and the family have been ongoing ever since KK’s death on June 17th. Two weeks ago, members of the family wrote to the government protesting its decision to tour Dr Kaunda’s body across all ten of Zambia’s provinces. They said the decision had been made without consulting them and again raised the issue of burying him at Embassy Park. 

Then, last week, several of KK’s grandchildren wrote to the government again, this time urging them not to exhume their grandfather’s body, describing the proposal as “unnecessary”.

Elsewhere, the government has been repeatedly criticised for politicising the death of the country’s founding president. In June, historian and political commentator Sishuwa Sishuwa tweeted his outrage at the decision to tour KK’s body across the whole country at a time when Covid-19 cases were rising and accused the Patriotic Front of trying to “manipulate the funeral for political gain”.

The PF also came under fire last week following their decision not to invite members of the United Party for National Development to Friday’s state funeral.

In statement the UPND said it was their understanding that “Zambians from all walks of life and from across the whole of the political divide” would be invited to pay their respects.