Login
Login

First Lady of Zambia

{{Short description|Wife of the president of Zambia}}

{{Infobox Political post

| post = First Lady

| body = Zambia

| insignia = Flag of Zambia.svg

| insigniasize = 150px

| insigniacaption =

| image = Mutinta Hichilema at the 13th National Assembly 03 (cropped).jpg

| incumbent = Mutinta Hichilema

| residence =

| incumbentsince = 24 August 2021

| preceded by = Christine Scott

| termlength =

| formation = 24 October 1964

| inaugural = Betty Kaunda

| website =

}}

{{Politics of Zambia}}

First Lady of Zambia is the title attributed to the wife of the president of Zambia. Zambia's current first lady is Mutinta Hichilema, who has held the office since 24 August 2021.

The first lady of Zambia plays the ceremonial role of the spouse of the head of state, but has often expanded their influence beyond that. For example, the wife of the country's founding president, Betty Kaunda, was viewed as the mother of the nation and known as "Mama Kaunda."{{cite news|author=James Butty, VOA staff writer |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/zambia-former-first-lady-kaunda-dead/1511410.html |title=Zambians Mourn Death of Former First Lady Betty Kaunda |publisher=VOA |date=September 20, 2012 |access-date=November 23, 2016}} Maureen Mwanawasa used her platform as First Lady to be a strong advocate for safer sex for women, often handing out condoms at public events.{{cite news|author=Violet Mengo, writer for the Daily Mail in Zambia and member of the Gender and Media Southern African (GEMSA) Network. |url=http://www.afrol.com/articles/27133 |title=Zambian First Lady urges women to demand safe sex |publisher=AFROL News |date=November 5, 2005 |access-date=November 23, 2016}}

List of first ladies

= Acting First Lady =

{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes Acting First Lady}}

= Others =

{{legend|brown|Denotes the first lady married the president but died in office}}

{{legend|blue|Denotes the first lady married the president but later divorced}}

{{legend|grey|Denotes the first lady married the president, but the president later died}}

{{legend|cyan|Denotes the first lady was a daughter or sister of the sitting president}}

=List of officeholders=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{Abbr|Pres.|President}}

{{Abbr|No.|Number}}

!Image

!Born/Died

!First Lady

!Term start

! Term end

!President

{{Small|(Spouse, unless noted)}}

1

|File:Betty Kaunda (cropped).jpg

|(1928–2013)

| Betty Kaunda{{cite news |first=Nse |last=Udoh |title=Founding First Lady Betty Kaunda Passes Away at 84 |url=http://zambiareports.com/2012/09/19/founding-first-lady-betty-kaunda-passes-away-at-84/ |work=Zambia Reports |date=2012-09-19 |access-date=2012-09-19 |archive-date=2012-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923002020/http://zambiareports.com/2012/09/19/founding-first-lady-betty-kaunda-passes-away-at-84/ |url-status=dead }}

| 24 October 1964

| 2 November 1991

| Kenneth Kaunda
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 1946; {{brown|died}} 2013

rowspan="-" |2

|

|(1951–)

| Vera Tembo

| 2 November 1991

| 2000

(divorced in 2001){{cite news |first=Obert|last=Simwanza|title=Zambia's ex-president Chiluba dies|url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/zambia-s-ex-president-chiluba-dies-1.1084985 |work=Independent Online (South Africa) |date=2011-06-18 |access-date=2012-09-19}}

| rowspan="2" | Frederick Chiluba
{{Abbr|m.|number}} ????; {{blue|div}} 2001

colspan="4"|No First Lady/office vacant; Vera Tembo{{cite news|first=Obert|last=Simwanza|title=Zambia's ex-president Chiluba dies|url=http://www.iol.co.zaw/news/africa/zambia-s-ex-president-chiluba-dies-1.1084985|work=Independent Online (South Africa)|date=2011-06-18|access-date=2012-09-19}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} is divorced in 2001 but she is out of power as first lady of Zambia in 2000s.

| 2000

| 2001

-

|

|

| Verocia Chiluba

| 2001

| 2 January 2002

| Frederick Chiluba
{{cyan|Daughter}}

3

|File:Maureen Mwanawasa.jpg

|(1963–2024)

| Maureen Mwanawasa

| 2 January 2002

| 19 August 2008

| Levy Mwanawasa
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 1988; {{gray|his death}} 2008

4

|

|(1972–)

| Thandiwe Banda{{cite news|first=Joseph|last=Warunga|title=Meeting the first ladies of Africa |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8685438.stm |work=BBC News |date=2010-05-17 |access-date=2012-07-30}}

| 29 June 2008

| 23 September 2011

| Rupiah Banda
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 2002; {{gray|his death}} 2022

5

|File:Christine Kaseba.jpg

|(1959–)

| Christine Kaseba

| 23 September 2011

| 28 October 2014

| Michael Sata
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 1994; {{gray|his death}} 2014

style="background:#E6E6AA;"

!-

|File:Charlotte Scott.jpg

|(1963–)

| Charlotte Scott

| 28 October 2014

| 26 January 2015

| Guy Scott
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 1994

6

|File:Esther Nyawa Lungu.jpg

|(1961–)

| Esther Lungu

| 26 January 2015

| 24 August 2021

| Edgar Lungu
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 1986-87

7

|File:Mutinta Hichilema at the 13th National Assembly 03 (cropped).jpg

|(1967–)

| Mutinta Hichilema

| 24 August 2021

| Incumbent

| Hakainde Hichilema
{{Abbr|m.|number}} ????

List of living First Ladies of Zambia

List of spouses of president but not the first lady

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{Abbr|Press.|President}}

{{Abbr|No.|Number}}

!Image

!Born/Died

!Name

!President

{{Small|(Spouse, unlles noted)}}

2

|

| (___?-2017)

| Regina Mwanza

| Frederick Chiluba
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 2002; {{gray|his death}} 2011

4

|

| (1941-2000)

| Hope Mwansa Makulu

| Rupiah Banda
{{Abbr|m.|number}} 1966; {{brown|died}} 2000

5

|

| (___?-___?)

| Margaret Manda

| Michael Sata
{{Abbr|m.|number}} ????; {{brown|died}} ????

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{First Ladies of Zambia}}

{{First Ladies and Gentlemen}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:First Lady of Zambia}}

Zambia

Category:Politics of Zambia

{{Zambia-politician-stub}}