She was married Kenneth Kaunda in 1946, who was involved in the independence movement and later went on to become the first President of independent Zambia. In his own words in his book Letter to My Children, Kaunda was the strength behind him all through their 66 years of relationship as she took care of the children in his absence. The colonial administration sent Kaunda to jail and she took to charcoal burning to feed the family. She is believed to have received multiple threats and coercions during those days, but she never gave up to the threats. In her own words, "The colonial administrators threatened to send us back to the villages after our husbands were arrested, but we refused". She mentioned that the letters she received from her husband during those days were source of strength to her and motivation too. He instructed her not to move from their house in Chilenje.
