Kapwepwe made significant contributions towards Zambia's struggle for independence, working tirelessly towards achieving the country's liberation from colonial rule.
As vice-president, Kapwepwe played a critical role in shaping Zambia's political landscape, introducing policies aimed at promoting economic growth and social progress.
His contributions towards shaping Zambia's political and social landscape have earned him significant recognition, with Kapwepwe being regarded as one of the country's most influential and revered figures.
On Kapwepwe's return to Northern Rhodesia in January 1955 he found the ANC leaderless, since both Harry Nkumbula and Kenneth Kaunda had been imprisoned for two months for distributing literature, considered subversive.
When Nkumbula returned from prison, he appointed Kapwepwe to the position of Acting Provincial Organizer for Northern Province.
Nkumbula's allegedly autocratic leadership and his willingness to accept in 1958 participation in national elections, which allowed the vote to only 25,000 Africans, led to a rift within the ANC.
Kapwepwe, together with Kaunda, Sikota Wina and others, broke away and formed the Zambia African National Congress (ZANC) in October 1958.
When he was released from jail in December 1959, he helped organize provincial and district branches of UNIP in Barotseland.
In 1960 Kapwepwe and Kaunda attended the Federal Review Conference in London, together with Mainza Chona and Harry Nkumbula.
This conference meant the beginning of the end of the Central African Federation, and laid the foundations for the independence of Zambia and Malawi, but not yet for Southern Rhodesia.
During that time he lambasted the British government for failing to intervene after Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Ian Smith, the leader of the Rhodesian Front, in 1965.
In December 1971 he won a by-election for the Mufulira West constituency, and became his party's sole representative in parliament.
Kaunda's excuse was that UPP was an instrument of the Rhodesian, South African and Portuguese governments, which favoured White minority rule.
By then, Kaunda backed by strong political ties with China (The Chinese were critical of European colonial rule of African territories, therefore, sided with a number of African freedom fighters like Kaunda during the liberation struggles for independence.
see Taylor, 2006 for an analysis of Sino-African relationship) had neutralized any threat that Kapwepwe could pose: the Chona Commission, under the chairmanship of Mainza Chona, was appointed in February 1972 to make recommendations for the constitution of a ‘one-party participatory democracy’ (i.e. a one-party state).
To test his erstwhile friend's sincerity, Kapwepwe stood for the 1978 UNIP's one-party presidential nomination against Kaunda.
Among the books in authored was Africa Twasebana published by the Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1991 - 286 pages Taylor, I.