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Lusaka – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta hailed Sata as an “outstanding son of Africa”. “He was gifted with unique, admirable abilities and strong values,” he said in a statement.

Sata’s supporters saw him as a no-nonsense man of action, while for critics the former policeman, trade unionist and taxidermist was an authoritarian populist.

What is undisputed is that he seemed to revel in scorched earth politics.

Sata rode to power on the back of resentment against the Chinese resource firms that dot Zambia, describing them as “infesters”.

Detractors, political foes, the media and even allies frequently came under attack from a man who earned the sobriquet “King Cobra”.

His government had recently cracked down on political opponents and critical journalists who reported on his long-suspected illness and frequent “working trips” abroad apparently for medical treatment.

In January 2014, an opposition politician was charged with defamation for calling him a potato, while in June the authorities charged three opposition activists for claiming that he was dying. – AFP