Levy Mwanawasa

He married Maureen Mwanawasa in 1988. Together they had seven children, five of their own and two from his first marriage.

He died on 19 August 2008, at the age of 59, due to complications from a stroke

Levy Mwanawasa was born on September 3, 1948, in Mufulira, in Northern Rhodesia. He had nine brothers and sisters.

For his early education, he attended Chiwala Secondary School in Ndola district. In 1970, he enrolled into the University of Zambia (Lusaka) to study law. He received his Bachelor of Law degree in 1973.

His career began in 1974 directly after graduation. He became a legal assistant for a private law firm in Ndola.

He continued working for various private law firms for the next four years. In 1978, he decided to form his own law firm, Mwanawasa & Company.

In 1982, he became the vice-chairman of the Law Association of Zambia.

In 1985, he became the solicitor general of Zambia for the next year. He was serving under the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda during a time of political and economic turmoil.

In 1989, he represented the former vice-president Lieutenant General Christon Tembo in a case. Tembo was charged with plotting a coup against then president Kenneth Kaunda. Mwanawasa successfully defended Tembo in the case.

President Mwanawasa launched a major anticorruption campaign. Paired with his policies of fiscal austerity, he was able to win over Western donors. His favorable policies attracted lots of foreign investment into the country.