President William Ruto has mourned former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu as a progressive and distinguished leader.

Lungu’s death was confirmed on Thursday, June 5, 2025.

In a statement on X on Thursday evening, June 5, 2025, Ruto stated that Lungu served Zambians with zeal and commitment.

“Our condolences to the family and the people of Zambia for the untimely death of former President Edgar Lungu. President Lungu was a progressive and outstanding leader who served the people of Zambia with zeal and commitment,” she stated.

“May God grant the people of Zambia strength and comfort during this painful time.”

On his part, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs mourned Lungu as a distinguished statesman whose leadership and commitment to Zambia will be remembered in Africa.

In a statement on Thursday, June 5, 2025, Mudavadi stated that Lungu has left a legacy of patriotism and peace.

“The news of the passing of former President of the Republic of Zambia, H.E. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, is deeply saddening. President Lungu was a distinguished statesman whose leadership and commitment to Zambia’s democratic journey will be remembered across the continent. His service, humility, and dedication to the people of Zambia leave behind a legacy of patriotism and peace,” he stated.

“I extend my condolences to his family, friends, and the people of Zambia during this moment of national mourning. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he added.

Lungu’s death

The Patriotic Front party confirmed that Zambia’s former president, Edgar Lungu, died on June 5, 2025, at the age of 68.

He had “been receiving specialised treatment in South Africa” for an undisclosed illness, the Patriotic Front added.

Lungu led Zambia for six years from 2015, losing the 2021 election to the current president, Hakainde Hichilema, by a large margin.

After that defeat, he stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray. He had ambitions to vie for the presidency again, but at the end of 2025, the Constitutional Court barred him from running, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law.

Lungu first became president in January 2015 after winning a special presidential election triggered by the death of Michael Sata.

After completing Sata’s term, he won a further five years in power in 2016, taking just over 50% of the votes.