Guy Scott facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Dr Guy Scott
Scott in August 2014
President of Zambia
Acting
In office 29 October 2014 – 25 January 2015
Vice President	Vacant
Preceded by	Michael Sata
Succeeded by	Edgar Lungu
12th Vice-President of Zambia
In office 23 September 2011 – 29 October 2014
President	Michael Sata
Preceded by	George Kunda
Succeeded by	Inonge Wina (2015)
Personal details
Born	(1944-06-01) 1 June 1944 (age 81) Livingstone, Batoka Province, Northern Rhodesia (present-day Southern Province, Zambia)
Political party	Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (1990–1996) Patriotic Front (2001–2016) United Party for National Development (2021–present)
Spouse	Charlotte Harland ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Cambridge University of Sussex University of Oxford

Guy Lindsay Scott (born 1 June 1944) is a Zambian politician. He served as the acting President of Zambia from 2014 to 2015. Before that, he was the Vice President from 2011 to 2014.

Scott became acting president after the death of President Michael Sata in October 2014. This made him the first head of state of European descent in mainland Africa since 1989.

Early Life and Education

Guy Lindsay Scott was born on June 1, 1944, in Livingstone, Zambia. At that time, Livingstone was part of Northern Rhodesia, which is now Zambia. His father, Alec Scott, was a doctor from Scotland. His mother, Grace, came from England.

Guy's father was a member of parliament in the 1950s. He supported Zambian nationalists and started newspapers that pushed for independence. His father's political work greatly inspired Guy.

Guy went to school in what is now Zimbabwe. Later, he studied economics at Cambridge University in England. After finishing his degree in 1965, he returned to Zambia. He worked as a planner in the Ministry of Finance for the new government.

In 1970, Scott started a farming business called Walkover Estates. He grew special crops like wheat and strawberries. He was known as a good employer who spoke the local language.

Scott later went back to England to study at the University of Sussex. He earned a Master's degree in 1983 and a doctorate in 1986. He studied how the mind works and how to create smart machines. He also studied robotics at Oxford University.

Political Career in Zambia

In 1990, Guy Scott joined a political party called the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). He became the head of its Agriculture Committee.

He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Mpika Central in 1991. Then, he became the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. During his time as minister, he managed a severe drought in 1992. He helped arrange for food to be brought into Zambia from other countries. He also oversaw a very good harvest the following year.

In 1996, Scott left the MMD and started a new party called the Lima Party. This party later joined with others to form the Zambia Alliance for Progress. In 2001, he returned to politics and joined the Patriotic Front party. He was elected as an MP again in 2006 for Lusaka Central.

Becoming Vice-President

In September 2011, a presidential election was held in Zambia. Michael Sata, from the Patriotic Front, won the election. On September 29, 2011, Guy Scott was sworn in as the Vice-President of Zambia. He was the first white Zambian leader to hold such a high position since Zambia became independent.

Scott once said that Zambia was becoming more open-minded. He felt that people were no longer focusing on the past problems of colonialism. When he met former U.S. President George W. Bush, Bush was surprised to learn that Scott was the Vice-President.

Serving as Acting President

After President Michael Sata passed away on October 28, 2014, Guy Scott became the acting president. He held this role for a short time, as required by Zambia's Constitution. A new election had to be held within 90 days to choose a permanent president.

Because of a rule in the Zambian Constitution, a presidential candidate's parents must be Zambian by birth or descent. Since Scott's parents were from Scotland and England, he was not able to run for president himself.

In November 2014, Scott briefly removed Edgar Lungu from a leadership position in the Patriotic Front party. However, he put him back in the role the next day after public protests. Scott also refused calls from other government officials to resign as acting president.

Edgar Lungu later won the special presidential election in January 2015. He became Zambia's sixth president on January 25, 2015, taking over from Guy Scott.

After His Presidency

Guy Scott left the Patriotic Front party before the 2016 general election.

In 2019, he wrote a book called Adventures in Zambian Politics: A Story in Black and White. The book talks about Zambia's history and his own political journey. In 2021, he joined the United Party for National Development party.

Personal Life

Guy Scott married Charlotte Harland in 1994. She is a doctor from Britain. They live in Lusaka, Zambia, and have four children. Scott has Parkinson's disease.

Images for kids

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  Guy Scott attending the United States–Africa Leaders Summit.