State House

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State House
General information
Architectural styleNeoclassical
Current tenantsHakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia and the First Family
Construction started1930; 94 years ago (1930)
Completed1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Design and construction
ArchitectWilliam Walcot

The State House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Republic of Zambia and is located at Bimbe, Lusaka, Zambia. The Office of the President of the Republic of Zambia is the highest executive position in Government. The President is the Head of Government and the National Assembly, and also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces of Zambia.

History

Since 1964, State House in Lusaka has been regarded as the official residence of the country’s head of state. Construction works started in 1930 and was officially opened in 1935 . During the colonial era, State House was known as government house and served as the official residence of colonial governors of Northern Rhodesia. In 1974, President Kaunda did a security upgrade to State House. President Kaunda also built Nkwazi House (Official residence of the President) and the prestigious 19-hole golf course.

Occupants

13 colonial governors lived in State House since 1935, with Major Sir Hubert Young being the first occupant and Sir Evelyn Hone was the last governor to live in State House. During this time one governor by the name of Sir John Maybin died in office on 9th April 1941 and he is the only governor to be buried at Aylmer May Cemetery in Rhodes Park, Lusaka.

Donations

Money to build State House in Lusaka was donated by Alfred Beit director in the British South Africa Company. In his will he set up the Beit Trust through which he bequeathed large sums of money for infrastructure development in the Northern Rhodesia. Some of the monies in his will were used to build Independence Avenue Road, Cairo Road, Lusaka City Airport, Supreme Court of Zambia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Zambia, Cabinet Office and the European Hospital (UniversityTeaching Hospital), Kafue Bridge, Luangwa Bridge, Beit Bridge on Zimbabwe/Zambia Border.

Security

The State House is heavily guarded by the Presidential Guard, which is made up of a special unit of soldiers of the the Zambia Army, responsible for the protection of the president of Zambia.

The Presidential Guard is under the command and supervision of the Ministry of Defence National Security. The entrance to the State House compound is closed to the public and only authorized persons or vehicles are permitted to enter the compound.

Staff

The Office is attended to by the Chief of State House Staff, Principal Private Secretary, Three Senior Private Secretaries and Five Special Assistants (Press, Economics, Politics, Legal, Projects Monitoring and Implementation). Two Chief Personal Secretaries serve directly in the Office where the President works, supported by his Aide de camp.

List of occupants

Six Zambian presidents have lived in State House since 1964, with two dying in office.

The house is currently occupied by President Hakainde Hichilema and the First Family, Mutinta Hichilema, since 24 August 2021.

Former occupants

  1. Kenneth Kaunda 24 October 1964 - 2 November 1991
  2. Frederick Chiluba 2 November 1991 - 2 January 2002
  3. Levy Mwanawasa 2 January 2002 - 19 August 2008 (died in office)
  4. Rupiah Banda 2 November 2008 - 23 September 2011
  5. Michael Sata 23 September 2011 - 28 October 2014 (died in office)
  6. Edgar Lungu 16 January 2015 - 24 August 2021

External links