| Prime Minister of the Republic of Zambia | |
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 Coat of arms of Zambia | |
| Appointer | President of Zambia |
| Formation | 25 August 1973 |
| First holder | Mainza Chona |
| Final holder | Malimba Masheke |
| Abolished | 31 August 1991 |
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 Zambia portal |
Theprime minister of Zambia was thehead of government ofZambia. From 1973 to 1975,Mainza Chona was the first person to hold the position followingindependence from theUnited Kingdom (Kenneth Kaunda was the only prime minister ofNorthern Rhodesia in 1964, before it became independent as Zambia).
The position of the prime minister of Zambia was abolished in 1991, in the last months of Kaunda's presidential term. Since then, thePresident of Zambia serves as both thehead of state and thehead of government.
When the country was founded as the British colony ofNorthern Rhodesia separate fromBritish South Africa Companyrule in the Rhodesias, the elected Legislative Council was created. At the time, the office of prime minister did not exist, with all executive power being vested in thegovernor of Northern Rhodesia. However, the leader of the largest elected party on the council was considered as the "unofficial" prime minister.[1] When Northern Rhodesia united withSouthern Rhodesia andNyasaland to form theFederation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the office ofprime minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was created, with Northern Rhodesia'sRoy Welensky becoming the second and final holder of the office. Following the breakup of the federation due to the withdrawal of Northern Rhodesia, the office of prime minister was created for the colony. The first and only prime minister of Northern Rhodesia was theUnited National Independence Party's (UNIP)Kenneth Kaunda after winning the1964 general election ahead of independence.[2][3]
Upon independence and the renaming of the country as Zambia, Kaunda became the newpresident of Zambia after being elected unopposed.[4][5] The office of prime minister was abolished accordingly.[6] In 1973, following an amendment to theConstitution of Zambia, the office of prime minister was re-established as the titular head of the government but the holder would be subordinate to the Secretary-General of UNIP in governing Zambia.[7] This was because the Central Committee of UNIP had precedence over theParliament of Zambia under the Constitution.[8] President Kaunda appointed his formervice-president,Mainza Chona, as prime minister.[9] In 1975, Chona resigned and was replaced byElijah Mudenda.[10] In 1977, Chona became prime minister again for a year before the role was taken over byDaniel Lisulo.[11]Kebby Musokotwane took the role over fromNalumino Mundia in 1985, becoming the youngest prime minister and also the first that was not a member of UNIP's Central Committee.[8] He was removed in 1989 and given an overseas diplomatic post due to President Kaunda believing he was aiming to become the next president.[12]
In 1991, the office was abolished again following a new constitution being created to allow for multi-party democratic elections following UNIP negotiations with theMovement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD).[12] The powers the prime minister had were subsumed back into the office of president.[13] The constitution allowed for the final prime minister,Malimba Masheke, to remain in office until the1991 Zambian general election.[13] According to Masheke, at the time of abolition the prime minister was being paid less than his private secretary.[14]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Election | Term of office | Political party | Head of state | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| Prime Minister ofNorthern Rhodesia | ||||||||
| 1 |  | Kenneth Kaunda (1924–2021) | 1964 | 22 January 1964 | 24 October 1964 | 276 days | UNIP | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Ministers of theRepublic of Zambia | ||||||||
| Post abolished (24 October 1964 – 25 August 1973) | Kenneth Kaunda | |||||||
| 1 |  | Mainza Chona (1930–2001) | — | 25 August 1973 | 27 May 1975 | 1 year, 275 days | UNIP | |
| 2 | | Elijah Mudenda (1927–2008) | 1973 | 27 May 1975 | 20 July 1977 | 2 years, 54 days | UNIP | |
| (1) | | Mainza Chona (1930–2001) | — | 20 July 1977 | 15 June 1978 | 330 days | UNIP | |
| 3 | | Daniel Lisulo (1930–2000) | 1978 | 15 June 1978 | 18 February 1981 | 2 years, 248 days | UNIP | |
| 4 | | Nalumino Mundia (1927–1988) | 1983 | 18 February 1981 | 24 April 1985 | 4 years, 65 days | UNIP | |
| 5 | | Kebby Musokotwane (1946–1996) | 1988 | 24 April 1985 | 15 March 1989 | 3 years, 325 days | UNIP | |
| 6 | | Malimba Masheke (born 1941) | — | 15 March 1989 | 31 August 1991 | 2 years, 169 days | UNIP | |
| Post abolished (31 August 1991 – present) | ||||||||
 Northern Rhodesia | |
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| Republic of Zambia |
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