President Paul Kagame on Friday, June 18 sent a message of condolence to the family of former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, who passed away on Thursday.

The 97-year-old’s death was announced by his son, Kambarage Kaunda.

"My heartfelt condolences to the family of President Kenneth Kaunda and the people of Zambia,” President Kagame said in a tweet.

The Head of State eulogized Zambia’s founding President as an outstanding Pan-Africanist who played a key role in the continent’s liberation struggle.

"His commitment to Africa’s liberation will never be forgotten,” he said, adding "His leadership on the continent and legacy of Pan-Africanism will live on for generations to come.”

Kenneth Kaunda, a symbol of African liberation who led Zambia to freedom from British rule and served as its first president, will be remembered for many things, including overhauling Zambia’s education system by providing free books and charging parents minimal token school fees, as well as mobilising citizens to contribute towards the construction of the country’s first university.

Even after he left office in 1991 following a crushing election defeat, Kaunda was a revered figure for many Zambians who knew him as "K.K.”

He had campaigned for black liberation while crisscrossing the countryside in the 1950s and ’60s, then emerged as a leader of Africa’s first generation of post-colonial leaders while calling for an end to white-minority rule on the continent.