LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia’s first president Kenneth Kaunda, 97, has been admitted to hospital, his office announced Monday, as the southern African country battles a surge in COVID-19. The statement issued by Kaunda’s administrative assistant Rodrick Ngolo said that the country’s founding president asked for “all Zambians and the international community to pray for him as the medical team is doing everything possible to ensure that he recovers.” The short statement did not specify the cause of Kaunda’s illness, but Zambia is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and the country’s first president was admitted to Maina Soko Medical Center, a treatment center for the disease in the capital, Lusaka.
