NAIROBI, Kenya (Kaab TV) – Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu has passed away at the age of 68, his party, the Patriotic Front (PF), announced in a statement.
Lungu died early Thursday morning at 06:00 (04:00 GMT) in a clinic in Pretoria, South Africa, where he had been receiving specialized treatment for an undisclosed illness.
His daughter, Tasila Lungu, confirmed the news in a short video, saying the former president had been “under medical supervision in recent weeks.” She added, “In this moment of grief, we invoke the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ — the timeless creed that guided President Lungu’s service to our country.”
Though the exact nature of his illness remains undisclosed, Lungu had previously undergone throat surgery abroad a decade ago for a narrowing of the oesophagus.
A Decade in Power and Politics
Edgar Lungu, a lawyer by profession, first entered parliament in 2011 as a Patriotic Front MP. He rose rapidly through the ranks, serving in various ministerial roles, including Home Affairs, Defence, and Justice.
He became Zambia’s president in January 2015 following the death in office of President Michael Sata.
After completing Sata’s term, Lungu secured a full mandate in the 2016 election, narrowly winning with just over 50% of the vote.
During his presidency, he encouraged Chinese investment and oversaw large-scale infrastructure projects.
However, his administration faced widespread criticism for a deteriorating economy, high unemployment, and rising national debt.
His time in office was also overshadowed by corruption scandals involving close allies and relatives — accusations he consistently denied.
Lungu’s leadership style and his party’s youth wing were accused of suppressing dissent and harassing opposition supporters.
In the 2021 general election, Lungu suffered a resounding defeat to opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, losing by nearly a million votes.
Hichilema, viewed as more pro-Western, capitalized on growing frustration with Lungu’s governance.
Life After the Presidency
After initially announcing his retirement from politics following the 2021 loss, Lungu re-emerged in 2023 amid rising discontent with the new administration.
He expressed renewed interest in running for office again, but Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled at the end of that year that he had already served the maximum two terms permitted by law, barring him from contesting future presidential elections.
Despite the ruling, Lungu remained a powerful figure in the Zambian political landscape and an outspoken critic of President Hichilema.
He frequently accused the government of targeting him with harassment.
In 2023, police warned him against jogging in public, labeling his regular workouts as “political activism.” At one point, Lungu claimed he was “virtually under house arrest,” and in 2024 alleged he had been barred from travelling abroad for a medical conference and treatment. The government denied these claims, insisting he remained free to exercise his rights.
Tributes from Across Africa
President Hakainde Hichilema offered his condolences, calling for “solemnity, unity and an outpouring of love and compassion,” urging Zambians to “come together as one people, above political affiliation or personal conviction, to honour the life of a man who once held the highest office in our land.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, under whose watch Lungu was being treated, described it as “a privilege in recent weeks to care for a leader from our region whom we embraced as a brother and friend.”
Kenyan President William Ruto praised Lungu as “a progressive and outstanding leader who served the people of Zambia with zeal and commitment.”
Personal Life and Legacy
Born on 11 November 1956, Edgar Chagwa Lungu earned his law degree from the University of Zambia in 1981.
He later completed military training at the Miltez army college in Kabwe and worked in various institutions, including Andre Masiye and Company Advocates, Barclays Bank, and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines.
Friends and colleagues remember him as a “good foot-soldier, lawyer and politician, father, husband and grandparent.”