July 13, 2023 /Human Interest/ —Kenneth Kaunda was a Bemba, which is one of the largest ethnic groups in Zambia. His father, David Kaunda, was born in Nyasaland, which is now Malawi. The Tumbuka are a Bantu ethnic group that is also found in Malawi. Mama Betty, Kaunda’s wife, was a Tumbuka from Malawi.

So, when it is said that Kaunda was a Bemba who married a Tumbuka lady, it means that he was born into a Bemba family, but his wife was from a Tumbuka family. Mama Betty came from the Tumbuka family in Malawi, which is why she is referred to as a Tumbuka lady. Continue reading →