29 Facts About Frederick Chiluba

Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba was a Zambian politician who was the second president of Zambia from 1991 to 2002.

Frederick Chiluba was born to Jacob Titus Chiluba Nkonde and Diana Kaimba and grew up in Luapula Province where he was born from.

Frederick Chiluba did his basic education at Mambilima Mbolo special school and his secondary education at Kawambwa boys technical Secondary School in Kawambwa, where he was expelled in the second year for political activities.

Frederick Chiluba became a bus conductor, and later a politician due to his charismatic personality.

Frederick Chiluba worked as city councilor before becoming an accounts assistant at Atlas Copco, and rose in his rankings, in Ndola where he joined the National Union of Building.

On 6 May 2002, Frederick Chiluba married his third wife, Regina Mwanza, the former chairperson of women's affairs for the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, in Lusaka.

Frederick Chiluba was acquitted of all corruption charges in August 2009.

Frederick Chiluba went on to win the chairmanship of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions.

Frederick Chiluba won re-election to a second five-year term in 1996 despite a lawsuit questioning his birthplace and hence his eligibility for the post.

Frederick Chiluba attempted to deport Kaunda on the grounds that he was a Malawian.

Frederick Chiluba amended the constitution in order to stop citizens with foreign parentage from standing for the presidency, aimed at disqualifying Kaunda.

In 1997 his government survived a coup attempt after which Frederick Chiluba immediately declared a state of emergency and began jailing, without charges, persons suspected of involvement in the coup.

Frederick Chiluba later married the MMD Women's Chairperson, Regina Mwanza a divorcee.

Frederick Chiluba stepped down at the end of his term on 2 January 2002, and was replaced by Levy Mwanawasa, his one-time vice-president.

Frederick Chiluba started out as a socialist, but accepted some economic reforms.

Frederick Chiluba can be said to have left both an economic and a political legacy.

Frederick Chiluba worked closely with British Prime Minister John Major throughout the early 1990s to reduce Zambia's debt.

Major and Frederick Chiluba restructured Zambia's debt to Britain which allowed Zambia to begin paying off debts to other foreign countries without their credit being negatively effected.

Frederick Chiluba is credited with kickstarting the privatisation of ZCCM in the late 1990s, the country's crown jewel.

Frederick Chiluba said the account was used by the country's intelligence services to fund operations abroad.

In early 2006, Frederick Chiluba was flown to South Africa for medical attention for a heart condition.

Frederick Chiluba continued to plead innocence and refused to recognise the verdict of the Judge Peter Smith who he accused of having been bribed by the Mwanawasa government.

Frederick Chiluba indicated at the time that the judgement in the UK had rendered the criminal proceedings in Zambia academic by heavily prejudicing his case.

Several days later, Judge Smith ordered Frederick Chiluba to leave his home in Lusaka within two weeks because it was judged to have been bought with money stolen from the public.

Frederick Chiluba collapsed on 24 May 2007 due to heart trouble and was hospitalized.

Frederick Chiluba was acquitted on all charges on 17 August 2009.

Scores of people packed the Lusaka Magistrates Court to hear Judge Jones Chinyama final judgement which concluded that Dr Frederick Chiluba was not guilty of the corruption charges laid against him and hence was acquitted.

Frederick Chiluba backed Mwanawasa's main opponent, Michael Sata, in the 2006 presidential election.

Frederick Chiluba announced in January 2010 that he was supporting Banda for re-election in 2011, while criticising the main opposition leaders.