Kenneth Kaunda, the founding President of Zambia Passes On at 97.

Kenneth Kaunda, President of Zambia, has died.

The former president’s death was announced by Zambian media on this afternoon.

He was on Monday admitted to Maina Soko military hospital in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, where he was treated for pneumonia. Zambian President Edgar Lungu had subsequently asked citizens to offer prayers for him.

“He stood up for this great nation at its most critical moment, and so we can all stand up for him in his moment of weakness,” Lungu had said.

Kaunda, one of Africa’s liberation heroes, was said to have made a steady recovery and was responding well to treatment as of Wednesday.

He ruled Zambia for 27 years — starting from 1964 after the country gained independence from Britain.

The charismatic president who won accolades for bowing out peacefully after losing an election was also the authoritarian who introduced a one-party state. The pioneer of “African socialism” was the man who cut a supply-side deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The nationalist leader known for personal probity planned to give huge tracts of farmland to an Indian guru. The revolutionary who gave sanctuary to liberation movements was also a friend of US presidents.

He exuded an image of the benign monarch, a much-loved father to his people, known for his endearing quirks – safari suits, waving white handkerchiefs, ballroom dancing, singing his own songs while cycling, and crying in public. And yet there was also a hard edge to the politics and persona of the man, whose powerful personality helped make Zambia a major player in Africa and the world for three decades.

After losing the 1991 multi-party elections to Frederick Chiluba, leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, Kaunda stepped down.

In 2000, he resigned as leader of his United National Independence Party (UNIP).

Kaunda’s death comes as the Southern African country is battling a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Zambia ministry of health had said bed occupancy rate at COVID-19 care centres had exceeded 100 percent and that health workers were overwhelmed.

“Having 726 in-patients due to 65+9- with 195 admissions and 28 deaths in 24 hours for a small population of our country is very alarming, and calls for us as a people to put all our different opinions and beliefs aside and bind together to effectively respond to the current situation,” Kennedy Malama, permanent secretary in the ministry of health, had said.

“Experience from across the globe has shown that once COVID-19 hospitalisations reach 40 percent bed capacity, the health care workers and other systems become overwhelmed due to the unique demands COVID-19 patients present.

“We are now operating at 100% bed occupancy and we are still mobilising more bed space. This is not sustainable.”

Rest in Peace Sir.