[7] The first armed group was organised by Bo Pyan, who led the anti-Japanese struggle,[8] but Shwe Aye, a former Rangoon University student, joined him and formed the Kayan New Land Party on 8 August that year.

[6][1] Lintner (1994) describes that the armed struggle in 1964 occurred after the demonetisation of high-value banknotes by the government, [6] but some reports suggest that the establishment of the KNLP in the same year was in response to the anti-dam movement.

[6] On 26 July 1994, after losing its alliance partner, the KNLP negotiated a ceasefire with the military regime and was granted autonomy for the areas it controlled as Kayah State Special District 3.

[15] Initially, the KNLP was considered as one of 'dialogue partners' by the government and was invited to the National Convention, but later was excluded from the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and the Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong .

[16][2] The KNLP was one of 12 ethnic EAOs that participated in the Panghsang Conference organised by the United Wa State Army in November 2015.

[19] In May 2021, the KNLP and the People’s Defence Force clashed with the Tatmadaw in the southern Shan State village of Soung Nan Khe.

[28] In May 2004, a joint statement was issued with seven other EAOs at the National Convention to review the powers of the Tatmadaw in the new constitution and to respect the autonomy of ethnic minorities.

[32] Ba Ham Htan, the son of KNLP's founder U Shwe Aye, was appointed the National Unity Government's Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Human Rights in May 2021, as a representative of KNLP in the shadow government formed by the elected lawmakers and ethnic minority leader in the aftermath of the military coup in February 2021.