The Norwegian Nobel Institute has accepted a proposal to have first Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 owing to his pursuit for liberty, freedom and peace.

The nomination was made by the Los Angeles Lusaka Sister Committee through vice-president Dr. Mwelwa Mulenga and Dr. Earnestine Robertson based in the United States.

“The quest to have Zambia’s founder President recognized with a Nobel Peace Prize for his pursuit of liberty, freedom and self determination received a boost when the Norwegian Nobel Institute accepted a proposed nomination for Dr. Kenneth Kaunda to be considered for the award of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination has been filed by Dr. Mwelwa Mulenga and Dr. Earnestine Robertson based in the United States with the support of Zambia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the African Union His Excellency Emmanuel Mwamba,” the Committee stated in a statement issued Sunday.

Others supporting the nomination include Minister of Local Government Charles Banda, Professor Bernard Mwansa Nchindila of the North-West University in South Africa and Dr. Chisanga Chanda, an academic based at Claremont Graduate University in the United States.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee confirmed receipt of the nomination in a letter to the nominators dated January 29, 2020 and thanked them for the proposal.

“The application was filed through the Nobel Institute whose principal duty is to assist the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the task of selecting the recipient(s) of the annual Nobel Peace Prize and to organize the Nobel award event in Oslo,” the Committee stated.

And Ambassador Mwamba said Dr. Kaunda’s work towards attaining peace and freedom in Africa was “so fundamental that its success brought freedom to millions of people”.

He said with the passing of time, the work, sacrifice and commitment to achieving Peace made by Dr. Kaunda might not be appreciated unless the country helped document the matter and raised his International recognition profile.

Ambassador Mwamba expressed confidence that the proposed nomination would receive favourable response among other worthy candidates being considered for the 2020 Nobel Peace as Dr Kaunda’s work “speaks for itself and is known by all lovers of peace in the world”.