Chali Mulenga*
Livingstone
Zambia celebrates Founding Father’s Day, also known as KK Day, one voice has risen sharply above the rest, urging Zambians to reflect not just on history — but on conscience.
Joseph Moyo, a respected human rights defender and vocal citizen advocate, has called on Zambians to use this public holiday not for recreation or routine political platitudes, but for deep introspection and renewed commitment to national service, integrity, and humility — the very principles embodied by Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, the country’s founding president.
“We must stop romanticizing the past and start embodying it,” Mr Moyo said in a statement issued from Livingstone.
“To honor KK is to live like KK.
That means rejecting corruption, serving with humility, and placing the people above personal gain.”
KK Day, observed on April 28, commemorates Dr. Kaunda’s legacy as Zambia’s independence leader and first president.
The day often sees government-organized memorials, speeches, and cultural events across the country. But Moyo fears the deeper meaning is being lost.
“We’ve turned it into another holiday — beach trips, BBQs, shopping sales,” Mr Moyo said.
“But KK never lived for those things. He lived for us — for the people. So the real way to honor him is to ask: Would KK approve of the Zambia we’ve built today?”
He drew a contrast between Kaunda’s selfless leadership and what he described as the growing “entitlement culture” among many of today’s political leaders and civil servants.
Mr Moyo recounted how Kaunda, even after leaving office in 1991, lived modestly, remained accessible to ordinary Zambians, and was never implicated in corruption.
He relied on public health services, lived in a humble residence, and turned down opportunities for personal enrichment.
“KK did not steal from the nation. He did not enrich himself. He did not accumulate properties. And when he left power, he didn’t cry foul or incite division — he stepped aside with grace,” Moyo said. “We don’t see that anymore.”
He emphasized that Dr. Kaunda was offered a house in Malawi after his presidency but turned it down, later accepting one built for him by an ordinary Zambian based in England.
“That alone should teach us everything we need to know about his character.”
Without naming names, Mr Moyo took a swipe at the current political class, accusing them of distorting democracy into a transactional affair where power is sought not to serve but to enrich.
“It is now common to see politicians with fleets of luxury vehicles and mansions barely months after getting elected,” he said.
“They prioritize tenders and kickbacks over classrooms and clinics. That is not KK’s Zambia.”
He warned that such behavior risks undoing the hard-won unity and moral foundation Kaunda laid.
“KK believed in One Zambia, One Nation — and he practiced it. Today, we are fracturing along tribal, economic, and political lines for short-term gain.”
Mr Moyo’s message was not just directed at politicians.
He urged every Zambian — from civil servants to business leaders, students to faith leaders — to embody the KK spirit.
“You don’t have to be president to be a KK.
If you run a market stall and treat customers fairly, you are being a KK. If you refuse to take a bribe, you are being a KK.
If you speak up for justice and dignity, you are being a KK.”
He encouraged youth to learn more about Kaunda’s life — not just as a political leader but as a philosopher, a Pan-Africanist, and a humanitarian who valued love and peace above power and wealth.
“Dr. Kaunda led this country with a white handkerchief, a Bible, and a guitar — not with a whip or a gun. He used his heart. So let KK Day remind us to lead with love.”
Mr Moyo challenged leaders to mark KK Day not with elaborate speeches but with policy and personal action:
helping the poor, fighting corruption, improving public services, and building a Zambia that would make KK proud.
“Today, I ask all of us — are we worthy of KK’s legacy? Or are we just clapping in his memory while betraying everything he stood for?”
He left Zambians with a resonant parting shot:
“Don’t just say happy KK Day. Live it. Be it. Be a KK.” End
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