ABSTRACT
The state of Zambia emerged in October 1964 when the British colonial administration handed over power to the elected government of Kenneth Kaunda, leader of the victorious United National Independence Party (UNIP). The pattern of civil-military relations prescribed in the colonial era was carried into Zambia’s early postcolonial period. The decade of the eighties witnessed a rapid depreciation in the external pressures against Zambia, while domestic challenges to Kaunda and the UNIP government became pronounced. Another element that has ensured the survivability of civilian rule is Zambia’s international standing relative to the Southern African subregion and its political environment. The continuing survivals of civilian control of the military in Zambia depend on government’s ability to improve the general economic condition and the well-being of the people. Chibula’s ability to sustain the mantle of civilian control of the military in Zambia would depend largely on the continued perception that the armed forces have a vested interest in the political status quo.
