Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lusaka High Court tosses out bid by KK’s children to stop his burial at Embassy Park

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Lusaka High Court Judge Wilfred Kopa Muma has rejected an application by Kaweche Kaunda to have the body of Zambia’s founding President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda to be buried at State Lodge instead of a designated official burial place for Heads of State.

Delivering a judgement in which Kaweche had sued the Secretary to Cabinet to compel government to hand over the body of Dr. Kaunda and be buried at State Lodge,Judge Muma said the case required that public interest was given consideration as it overrides personal or family interests.

Judge Mumba said he sympathized with some family members that wanted this matter to transpose it to a private or family funeral.

He said Dr. Kaunda was not an ordinary man.

Judge Muma said there was no arguable case fit for consideration at substantive hearing.

Dr Kaunda has since been buried at an embassy party in a colourful ceremony that has just concluded.

22 COMMENTS

  1. It’s a flawed judgement devoid of sound legal reasoning because a human body cannot be public property. Former presidents and military personnel killed in combat are accorded state funerals in older democracies but after that bodies are handed to the family.

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  2. “He said Dr. Kaunda was not an ordinary man.”-LT

    “The phrase taxation without representation describes a populace that is required to pay taxes to a government authority without having any say in that government’s policies. The term has its origin in a slogan of the American colonials against their British rulers: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”

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  3. I apologize for insulting Tilenji Kaunda. And the people attending funeral.
    Leave KK rest at embassy park, don’t go back and dig him out please.
    Let it be.

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  4. KK lying in the same neighbourhood with FTJ and leaving Betty alone at the farm. No, Lets take the man to where he wanted to be buried please

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  5. I think they should sue this government again because on the tombstone of Dr Kaunda this government which is making mistake after mistake has put his birthday as 24th April instead of 28th April

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  6. Mwanawasa wanted to be buried on the Copperbelt at Yeka Farm next to his mother, Mirriam Mokola. Was he buried where he wished?

    Betty Kaunda was JUST ( I insist, without malice) a wife to the president. She can honourably be buried at State Lodge, with dignified pride; but not so with Kaunda. He befits a stately presidential funeral.

  7. Is it John Sangwa who moved the court or his client? Sangwa’s role was to help the client put his case before court and the judgement that followed was by the court.

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  8. Mwanawasa wanted to be buried on the Copperbelt at Teka Farm next to his mother, Mirriam Mokola. Was he buried where he wished?

    Betty Kaunda was JUST ( I insist, without malice) a wife to the president. She can honourably be buried at State Lodge, with dignified pride; but not so with Kaunda. He befits a stately presidential funeral.

  9. ITS OVER LETS MOVE ON TO SAVE THIS FAILING COUNTRY FROM FUTHER DECLINE
    THE KAUNDA FAMILY I’M SURE HAVE THIS IN HAND

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  10. The derivative of a function GRZ= f(October 24, 1964) of a variable October 24, 1964 is a measure of the rate at which the value GRZ of the function changes with respect to the change of the variable October 24 1964. It is called the derivative of GRZ with respect to
    the way things are happening today.

    y = f(x)

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  11. I wonder why some lawyers are so selfish. Why not advise your client accordingly instead you only looking at what you gain from it. Certain things twakwatako Ubuntu heart. Even on funerals you want to show you can overturn things.

  12. I am just surprised with KK family …the witnessed what was going on in Zimbabwe and RSA with Mugabe and Mandela families at first hand…surely the best thing you would have done is put the old man’s wishes in writing with his lawyer, the man was 97 years old were expecting him to live till 150 years? Then publish his wishes in the media…

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  13. PF know that KKs grave will receive more VIP visitors than Lazy Bum Lungu would ever receive in his lifetime…so anyone coming to Embassy Park will be persuaded to pass through State House.

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  14. It’s not about Sangwa, it’s simply a wrong shameful court decision based on the politics of the day instead of respecting a family. Ridiculous. KK’s body should not have been for the government to play around with as they wished

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    • Yes it’s not about Sangwa, but given what he has been through lately he should not have taken this assignment, given the government’s heavy hand in it the outcome was obvious

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  15. We did what was best for the nation. Our father KK always wanted to put the nation first. That is what we did today

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  16. What was published as KK’s “wishes ” was probably doctored to lean to a certain pointer; for what purpose, no one can put together, but only to be seen imaginably speculative: perhaps to shame government. Who knows?

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  17. This is a Political Judgment by Justice Muma. The Judge failed to cite the Law which says Public Interests always supersedes Personal and Family interests? How can the State interfere with a Family Will which it is not party to? The remains of KK belong to the Family and not the State. The KK Family have a Right to their Father’s Remains. That is why they say law is an arse.

  18. Those of KK’s children that have entirely depended on their father for their livelihood are at the center of this controversy, very shameful indeed.

  19. On this one government was right. It is normal to disregard wills of the dead if deemed inappropriate. Eg. a will that leaves the entire estate in the hands of a girlfriend when the deceased has left a wife and small children children may not be honored.

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