Est. October 1959 · Lusaka, Zambia

One Zambia,
One Nation

The United National Independence Party — architect of Zambian sovereignty, champion of African liberation, and bearer of the Humanist flame since 1959.

Founded 1959 Independence 1964 27 Years in Power Liberation Vanguard Reborn Under Bp. Mwamba 2021
27
Years Governing
8+
Movements Hosted
1964
Independence Year
One Zambia, One Nation✦ Zambian Humanism✦ Hub of Decolonisation✦ Founded October 1959✦ Independence: 24 October 1964✦ Bishop Trevor Mwamba — President 2021✦ African Solidarity✦ Pan-Africanism✦ One Zambia, One Nation✦ Zambian Humanism✦ Hub of Decolonisation✦ Founded October 1959✦ Independence: 24 October 1964✦ Bishop Trevor Mwamba — President 2021✦ African Solidarity✦ Pan-Africanism✦
Who We Are

A Party That Built a Nation

UNIP transformed Northern Rhodesia into the Republic of Zambia and became the conscience of Southern African liberation.

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Independence Party

Led Zambia to independence from British colonial rule on 24 October 1964, with Kenneth Kaunda as the nation's founding father and first president.

Explore History
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Zambian Humanism

Pioneered the philosophy of Zambian Humanism — rooting governance in African communal values, mutual aid, trust, and social justice for all citizens.

Explore Humanism
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Liberation Hub

Lusaka became the headquarters for ANC, SWAPO, ZAPU, FRELIMO and MPLA — making Zambia the nerve centre of Southern African decolonisation.

Explore Liberation Hub
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Education Legacy

Built the University of Zambia (1966), expanded schools nationwide, and ensured all children received free exercise books, pens and pencils.

Explore Humanism
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Economic Sovereignty

The 1968 Mulungushi Reforms brought copper mines and key industries under national control, delivering resource sovereignty to the Zambian people.

Explore Legacy
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Renewed Leadership

In 2021 Bishop Trevor Mwamba was elected UNIP President — the first non-Kaunda leader in 60 years — endorsed by KK himself for the party's revival.

Meet Bishop Mwamba
Since 1959

UNIP Through the Ages

From underground resistance to the halls of power — and the road to renewal.

October 1958

ZANC Is Born

Kenneth Kaunda breaks from the African National Congress and founds the Zambian African National Congress (ZANC) as a more militant anti-colonial movement. He is arrested and jailed.

October 1959

UNIP Founded

With Kaunda imprisoned, Mainza Chona founds the United National Independence Party (UNIP) as successor to the banned ZANC. Kaunda assumes leadership upon release in January 1960.

24 October 1964

Independence Day

UNIP wins 55 of 75 seats in the pre-independence elections. Northern Rhodesia becomes the Republic of Zambia. Kenneth Kaunda is sworn in as the first President.

1966

University of Zambia Opens

UNIZ opens in Lusaka, built with grassroots public contributions. Kaunda becomes its first Chancellor, cementing the party's commitment to transforming higher education.

1968

Mulungushi Reforms

Kaunda nationalises foreign-owned copper mines and key industries through the Mulungushi Reforms under the Industrial Development Corporation — a defining act of economic sovereignty.

1973

One-Party State

Following tribal and inter-party violence, UNIP is enshrined as the sole legal party in a new constitution. Kaunda governs under "one-party participatory democracy" until 1991.

1991

Democratic Transition

Multi-party democracy returns. UNIP loses to Frederick Chiluba's Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). Kaunda's graceful concession becomes a model for peaceful transitions.

2001 – 2016

Tilyenji Kaunda Era

Kenneth Kaunda's son Tilyenji leads UNIP for two decades, maintaining the family legacy. UNIP contests elections in alliances but fails to recapture former dominance.

4 April 2021

Bishop Mwamba Elected

Bishop Trevor Mwamba defeats Tilyenji Kaunda at UNIP's congress — the first non-Kaunda UNIP leader since the 1960s. Kenneth Kaunda himself endorses the change, calling it necessary for survival.

2026

Road to the Future

Under Bishop Mwamba's leadership, UNIP prepares for the 2026 general elections. A UNIP party congress will determine the presidential nominee ahead of polling day.

Kenneth Kaunda

Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda (1924–2021) — Founder of modern Zambia and UNIP's iconic leader

UNIP Electoral Performance 1964–2001

"The challenge is to build a society in which all persons have equal rights and opportunities — regardless of race, tribe, sex or social origin."

— Kenneth Kaunda, First President of Zambia
Philosophy & Practice

Zambian Humanism

The guiding ideology that translated African communal values into national policy — from copper mines to village clinics.

4,000+
Schools Built or Expanded
650+
Health Clinics Established
1,200+
Cooperatives Formed
1
Nation United Under Humanism

The Five Pillars of Zambian Humanism

01
Human Dignity

Every person possesses inherent worth irrespective of wealth, tribe or status. The state exists to serve the individual, not the reverse.

02
Communal Unity

Drawing on traditional African values of mutual aid and community loyalty — "I am because we are" — policies prioritised collective welfare.

03
Economic Equity

State control of key industries (copper, banking) ensured mineral wealth served ordinary Zambians, not foreign shareholders.

04
Social Justice

Free education, universal healthcare access and cooperative farming programmes were rights, not privileges, under Humanist governance.

05
Pan-African Solidarity

Humanism extended beyond Zambia's borders — recognising freedom as indivisible and providing material support to liberation movements across the continent.

06
Spiritual Grounding

Kaunda's Christian faith informed Humanism's ethical core — non-violence, sacrifice, and moral leadership were central to the ideology's character.

Humanism in Action Map

Interactive map of clinics, schools and cooperatives built under UNIP's Humanist governance. Click any marker for details.

Schools & Universities
Health Clinics & Hospitals
Cooperatives & Farms
Industrial Developments
Education Expansion 1964–1991
Healthcare Facilities Growth

"In Zambia, man is the centre of all activities. Policies and programmes exist to serve man, not man to serve policies."

— Kenneth Kaunda, Humanism in Zambia, Part I (1967)
Lusaka: The Nerve Centre

Zambia's Role in Southern African Liberation

Kaunda's bold declaration — "Lusaka will support liberation movements" — turned Zambia into the operational backbone of African decolonisation.

When Zambia achieved independence in 1964, Kenneth Kaunda made an unwavering commitment: Lusaka would serve as headquarters and safe haven for every liberation movement fighting for black majority rule in Southern Africa. This was not merely moral solidarity — it was a strategic and dangerous choice that exposed Zambia to military retaliation from Rhodesia, apartheid South Africa and colonial Portugal.

Guided by Pan-Africanism, the OAU Charter, and the 1960 UN Declaration on Decolonisation, UNIP formalised support through institutional policy — hosting liberation movements, providing logistics, communications via Radio Zambia (broadcasting 40+ hours per week in 22 languages), and diplomatic cover through the front-line states network.

Zambia's copper revenues funded much of this solidarity. The economic cost was significant — sanctions, sabotage of infrastructure, and Rhodesian military raids — yet Kaunda never wavered, famously weeping as he announced each act of white minority repression in the region.

Zambia Liberation

"The liberation of Southern Africa is not a luxury — it is a necessity for Zambia's own freedom and dignity."

— Kenneth Kaunda

Interactive Liberation Hub Map

Zambia's role as the nerve centre of Southern African decolonisation. Click markers to explore liberation movement offices, training camps, and key corridors.

Liberation Movement HQs in Lusaka
Key Zambian Support Hubs
Active Liberation Territories
Liberated Nations (post-1975)

Movements Hosted by Zambia

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South Africa

ANC — African National Congress

Lusaka served as ANC's primary external headquarters throughout the apartheid era. The party's National Executive Committee operated from Zambia. Oliver Tambo led the ANC in exile from Lusaka for decades.

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Namibia / SWA

SWAPO — South West Africa People's Org.

SWAPO established key operational bases in Zambia, conducting the armed liberation struggle against South African occupation of South West Africa (now Namibia). Sam Nujoma coordinated from Lusaka.

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Zimbabwe / Rhodesia

ZAPU — Zimbabwe African People's Union

Joshua Nkomo's ZAPU established headquarters in Lusaka following UDI (Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence) in 1965. Zambia provided logistics for ZAPU's armed wing, ZIPRA.

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Zimbabwe / Rhodesia

ZANU — Zimbabwe African National Union

ZANU, led by Herbert Chitepo (assassinated in Lusaka in 1975), also received Zambian hospitality. The party's armed wing ZANLA conducted operations across the Zambian border corridor.

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Mozambique

FRELIMO — Mozambique Liberation Front

Samora Machel's FRELIMO received Zambian support in its war against Portuguese colonial rule. Zambia provided a transit corridor for fighters and logistics from Tanzania into Mozambique.

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Angola

MPLA — People's Movement for Liberation of Angola

The MPLA operated through networks supported by Zambia and Tanzania. Kaunda navigated complex relationships with Angola's competing liberation movements, ultimately maintaining principled non-alignment between MPLA, FNLA and UNITA.

Liberation Timeline

1964

Zambia Declares Pan-African Solidarity

Independence enables UNIP to formalise support for liberation movements. Kaunda invites movements to establish offices in Lusaka.

1965

Rhodesian UDI — Zambia Responds

Ian Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence hardens Zambia's commitment. Zambia closes its border, absorbs massive economic shock, and doubles support for ZAPU.

1975

Mozambique & Angola Liberated

FRELIMO and MPLA achieve independence. Zambia's support corridor is vindicated. Lusaka now borders liberated territory to the east.

1980

Zimbabwe Born

Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF wins elections in independent Zimbabwe. Kaunda's patient support of Zimbabwean liberation over 15 years delivers a sovereign neighbour.

1990

Namibia Independent

SWAPO's Sam Nujoma becomes first president of an independent Namibia. Zambia's decades of hosting SWAPO is vindicated in full.

1994

Apartheid Falls — ANC Triumphs

Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa's first democratic president. Kaunda, Zambia and UNIP are honoured as indispensable architects of the final liberation in the region.

UNIP President since 2021

Bishop Trevor Mwamba

Theologian, lawyer, diplomat, and now statesman — the man tasked with reinventing Africa's original independence party.

Bishop Trevor Mwamba
Rt. Rev. Bishop Musonda Trevor Selwyn Mwamba — UNIP President
UNIP President Anglican Bishop Oxford Graduate Yale Doctorate Born: 7 May 1958
Musonda Trevor Selwyn Mwamba
The Right Reverend
Bishop Trevor Mwamba

Born in Mansa, Zambia on 7 May 1958, Bishop Trevor Mwamba is a man of extraordinary range. Lawyer, Anglican bishop, banker, diplomat, peacemaker, published author — and now the president of the United National Independence Party, tasked with restoring UNIP to national relevance for the first time in three decades.

His election on 4 April 2021 was historic: the first UNIP leader outside the Kaunda family since the 1960s. Kenneth Kaunda himself endorsed Mwamba, acknowledging that UNIP's survival required bold, independent renewal. "This is where God has appointed me," Mwamba declared after his victory — bringing to politics the same sense of divine calling that shaped his decades of ministry.

Born
7 May 1958, Mansa, Zambia
Spouse
Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba (3 children)
Wife's Father
Sir Ketumile Masire, former President of Botswana
UNIP Presidency
Elected 4 April 2021 (present)
Church
Anglican Communion / Diocese in Europe
Denomination
Anglicanism — Church of Province of Central Africa
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LL.B — Law

University of Zambia, 1981. Mwamba's first degree — laying a foundation in legal reasoning that would serve him in banking, church governance and politics.

UNZA · 1981
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BA (Hons) Theology

University of Oxford, 1983. First-class grounding in theology and biblical studies, initiating a lifelong Oxford connection.

Oxford · 1983
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Certificate & MA, Theology

University of Oxford, 1984 and 1988 respectively. Deep engagement with systematic theology and church history.

Oxford · 1984–1988
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M.Phil. Social Anthropology

University of Oxford, 1998. Interdisciplinary mastery linking religion, society and culture — informing his later diplomatic and civic roles.

Oxford · 1998
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Doctor of Divinity (Honoris Causa)

Yale University, 2009. Recognition of extraordinary contribution to theology, interfaith dialogue and public service.

Yale University · 2009
1981

Legal Researcher — Ministry of Legal Affairs, Zambia

His first professional posting immediately after graduating in law from UNZA.

1984–1986

Ordained Deacon & Priest; Parish Priest, Zambia

Ordained deacon at Petertide 1984 by Bishop Mark Santer (Kensington) and priest in 1985. Served as Parish Priest at St George's, Luanshya, Zambia.

1987–2000

Provincial Secretary & Personal Assistant to Archbishop, Central Africa

Served across Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe as the Church of the Province of Central Africa's Provincial Secretary. Became the first Provincial Canon in 1991 by Episcopal Synod.

1999–2005

Standard Chartered Bank Botswana — Triple Executive Role

Simultaneously served as Head of Legal & Compliance, Head of Corporate Affairs, and Company Secretary. Managed board meetings, regulatory relationships, and the bank's Botswana Stock Exchange listing.

2005–2013

Bishop of Botswana

Consecrated on 6 February 2005 at Gaborone. Led the Anglican Diocese of Botswana for 8 years — presiding at state occasions, chairing the Africa-wide All Africa Anglican-Lutheran Commission, and serving on the UN Civil Society Advisory Committee.

2013–2019

Vicar of Barking & Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Chelmsford, UK

Served the Church of England and was awarded the Honorary Freedom of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham — the highest civic honour the borough awards.

2021–Present

President — United National Independence Party (UNIP)

Elected 4 April 2021, defeating Tilyenji Kaunda. Stood as UNIP's presidential candidate in the August 2021 general elections. Currently leading UNIP's revival ahead of the 2026 elections.

Servant of the Anglican Communion

Bishop Mwamba's church career spans four decades across three continents. From a Curate in Notting Hill to Bishop of Botswana to the Anglican Diocese in Europe, he has served at every level of the Anglican Communion.

He was a key participant in the 2008 Lambeth Conference, served as official liaison for the All Africa Conference of Churches to the Southern Africa Development Community Parliamentary Forum, and mediated conflicts for the Province of Central Africa.

His tenure as Bishop of Botswana coincided with one of the most challenging periods of the HIV/AIDS epidemic — he mobilised the church as a frontline community health actor, serving on the Community Advisory Board of the Botswana Baylor Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence.

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Ordination

Ordained deacon 1984 and priest 1985 by Bishop Mark Santer at St Luke's, Chelsea.

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Consecration

Consecrated Bishop of Botswana on 6 February 2005, Gaborone.

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Pan-African

Led the Church of the Province covering Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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Lambeth 2008

Facilitator at the 2008 Lambeth Conference. Coordinated amendments to the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa's constitution.

A New Chapter for UNIP

Bishop Mwamba entered politics not as a career move, but as a calling. When approached to stand for the UNIP presidency in 2021, he framed it in the same language as his ministry: service to people. "The calling is the same — it's about people, it's about trying to improve the livelihood and welfare of our people."

His victory over Tilyenji Kaunda — son of UNIP's founding father — was historic. Kenneth Kaunda endorsed him, acknowledging that for UNIP to survive the modern era, it needed to break the dynastic hold of the Kaunda family and chart a new course.

In the August 2021 presidential elections, Mwamba stood on the UNIP ticket — finishing respectably, his campaign focused on restoring the moral clarity of Humanism to Zambia's governance. Looking ahead to 2026, Mwamba has confirmed that UNIP's constitution requires a party congress before elections, where delegates will determine the party's direction and candidate.

His political platform draws on UNIP's foundational principles: Humanism, Pan-African solidarity, economic sovereignty, and ethical public service — repackaged for the challenges of 21st century governance.

"Even while I was away from Zambia, I was very much a Zambian. When God called me back to serve, I answered — as a bishop answers a calling to serve the people."

— Bishop Trevor Mwamba
Bishop Mwamba
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2006 / 2007

Dancing Sermons

Published by Maclean Dubois (2006), reprinted by SPCK (2007). Mwamba's celebrated collection bridging African spirituality, scripture and contemporary life.

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2009

Saving the Soul of Anglicanism

"Blessing or Curse; The African Experience." Published in Modern Believing Church and Society, Vol. 50:2. Addresses sexuality debates within global Anglicanism from an African perspective.

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2009

Lambeth & MDGs: A Botswana Perspective

Journal of Anglican Studies 7:229–242 (Cambridge University Press). Links the 2008 Lambeth Conference outcomes to the Millennium Development Goals through an African lens.

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2014

Law and Religion in Africa

"Living Expressions and Channels of Co-Operation." Published in the African Human Rights Law Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1. Examines the intersection of legal systems and religious practice across the continent.

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2016

Anglicans and Sexuality: A Way Forward?

Published at LSE. A measured, scholarly contribution to one of the most divisive debates in contemporary Anglicanism, offering African pastoral experience as a bridge.

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2020

Coronavirus: A Parable of Our Time

Published during the pandemic, this reflection applies theological and moral reasoning to the global COVID-19 crisis — exploring solidarity, inequality and shared human vulnerability.

Film & Media: Bishop Mwamba appeared as himself in the HBO/BBC miniseries The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (directed by Anthony Minghella), and is featured in seven books of Alexander McCall Smith's bestselling series.

Then & Now

Legacy, Renewal & the Road to 2026

What UNIP built endures. What UNIP stands for is being reclaimed for a new generation of Zambians.

What UNIP Built

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University of Zambia

Founded 1966 — built with grassroots national contributions. Kaunda served as first Chancellor.

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University Teaching Hospital

Zambia's flagship public hospital, built under UNIP to provide world-class tertiary care.

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ZCCM — Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines

Mulungushi Reforms 1968 — copper revenues directed to national development for the first time.

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Radio Zambia

Broadcasting 40+ hours/week in 22 languages — voice of liberation movements across Southern Africa.

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Lusaka — Capital of Decolonisation

Under UNIP Lusaka became the recognised nerve centre of Southern African liberation — a distinction acknowledged by historians worldwide.

UNIP's Vision for 2026

Under Bishop Mwamba, UNIP is reconnecting with its founding values — not as nostalgia, but as a living framework for 21st century governance. The 2026 general elections represent UNIP's most significant electoral test in a generation.

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Constitutional Reform

Restore checks and balances. UNIP advocates for genuine separation of powers and anti-corruption architecture.

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Resource Sovereignty

Ensure Zambia's mineral wealth — copper, cobalt, emeralds — serves Zambian people as it did under the Mulungushi vision.

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Social Humanism

Revive the Humanist social contract: equitable access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity for all Zambians.

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African Integration

Champion Zambia's leadership in SADC, the AU, and AfCFTA — carrying forward KK's legacy of Pan-African engagement.

UNIP's Policy Priority Matrix (2026)
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda · 1924–2021

The Founding Father's Enduring Words

"The greatest gift we can give our children is the truth about what we were, what we are, and what we must become."

"UNIP does not belong to any family. It belongs to the people of Zambia — and it is to the people of Zambia that it must return."

— Bishop Trevor Mwamba, UNIP President, 2021