Billy Kaunda rose to prominence as a musician in the late 1990s and has maintained his relevance on the Malawi music scene since. He surprised many by singing a political song that was clearly critical of the UDF regime in 2002 called Agalatiya Mwataya Chipangano. That seems to have been his turning point as he then rode on the back of his popularity to join the National Democratic Alliance NDA and contested and won an MP position in Blantyre.
Billy Kaunda is a current member of parliament from Mzimba District and was Deputy Minister of Youth Development and Sports and deputy minister of 2 other ministries. He went to parliament on an independent ticket in the 2009 Parliamentary.
He has now written an autobiography called Hills and Valleys where he, among other things tells the story of how UDF Operatives hunted him down after he did Agalatiya Mwataya Chipangano.