News / National
Row over Kaunda's burial escalates
06 Jul 2021 at 18:26hrs | Views
Some members of the family of Zambia's late President Kenneth Kaunda have gone to court to try to stop his burial at the Embassy Park national site in the capital Lusaka.
Kaunda - the country's first president who was in office from 1964 to 1991 - died on 17 June aged 97.
The government later decreed that he would be buried at the Embassy Park where the other past presidents have been laid to rest. The burial is due to take place on Wednesday.
But now some of Kaunda's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are asking the court to allow the former leader to be laid to rest elsewhere, next to his wife Mama Betty Mutinkhe Kaunda.
They say this would be in accordance with his last wish.
It is unclear how many family members back this position and whether the burial will now be postponed.
The Zambian government has not publicly commented on the issue.
Kaunda - the country's first president who was in office from 1964 to 1991 - died on 17 June aged 97.
The government later decreed that he would be buried at the Embassy Park where the other past presidents have been laid to rest. The burial is due to take place on Wednesday.
But now some of Kaunda's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are asking the court to allow the former leader to be laid to rest elsewhere, next to his wife Mama Betty Mutinkhe Kaunda.
They say this would be in accordance with his last wish.
It is unclear how many family members back this position and whether the burial will now be postponed.
The Zambian government has not publicly commented on the issue.
Source - BBC
