KAUNDA URGES GENUINE UNITY AND HEALING ON NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
Lusaka… Saturday October 18, 2025 – As Zambia marks the Day of National Prayer, Fasting, Repentance and Reconciliation, Kelvin Kaunda has called on citizens to embrace genuineness over hypocrisy in their pursuit of healing and national unity.
In a press statement issued to commemorate the occasion, Kaunda said the day served as a reminder of the power of faith, unity, and genuine reconciliation in building a peaceful and prosperous nation.
He noted that prayers should be accompanied by sincerity of heart, humility, and forgiveness, stressing that true healing could only come through honest reflection and action.
Mr. Kaunda warned against pretentious unity, urging Zambians not to observe the day with hypocrisy while harboring bitterness and division.
He said that genuine reconciliation could only begin when citizens accepted their differences, forgave one another, and worked together for the common good, regardless of tribal, regional, or political affiliations.
He further called upon the Church, which he described as the moral compass of the nation, to lead efforts in promoting healing and dialogue aimed at restoring national harmony.
Mr. Kaunda also appealed for dignity, compassion, and unity in resolving the ongoing impasse regarding the burial of former President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, saying it was time to lay him to rest peacefully and respectfully as “one Zambia, one nation.”
Addressing the youth, Kaunda urged them to reject political violence, hatred, and manipulation, reminding them that the future of the country lay in their hands.
He encouraged young people to be the generation that champions peace, tolerance, and development.
Mr. Kaunda also appealed to all eligible citizens to register to vote, describing it as an important civic duty.
He emphasized that participation in the democratic process was essential for shaping the nation’s future and called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to uphold the Constitution by ensuring transparency, fairness, and integrity in the lead-up to the 2026 general elections.
Meanwhile, Kaunda urged Zambians to recommit to peace, justice, and love, saying the country’s healing would only come through truth and sincerity.
“May God bless Zambia and all her citizens,” Mr. Kaunda stated.
The declaration of 18th October as prayer, repentance, reconciliation and whatever day was purely a political move and serves no purpose. For most Zambians, it is just another day, a holiday, for them to indulge in all sorts of sinful activity. But remember, God cannot be mocked. Donot honour God with your lips when your heart is far away from Him. God looks at the heart not outward appearance.
Zambia is a country steeped in evil. Corruption is our way of life. Thieves are everywhere and we have no respect for other people’s property. Even the church has lost its saltiness and no longer serves as a light onto the world. Rather, it has chosen to conform to the standards of the world to the extent where accepting money and other donations from politicians is regarded as acceptable and in the process it has compromised itself.
Materialism has gripped the church and the so called believers compete in showing off their wealth. It is fashionable to be a “christian”.
As a country, we are in danger of incurring God’s wrath for misusing His name.
Mr Kaunda, your message is.loud and clear. It is timely and I believe it is done from a sincere heart.
I have however, picked mixed messaging in it. You are calling for “genuine and not hypocritical reconciliation and forgiveness. God does not put conditions when calling us to forgive or reconcile.
We are Christians. Christian means “the follower of Christ.” What has Christ Himself said?
Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Mat 5: 38-40
Eye for Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 5:46-47
For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?