‘Home girl’ Kamala Returns Home to site of grandfather’s Old Place in Lusaka

Harris on Friday said it was “very special” to go back, and she described her grandfather as “one of my favorite people” with a lasting influence on her life.

“He believed in the nobility of public service, he believed in fighting corruption,” she said. “These are things he would talk about a lot, and I don’t think until I was older I realized how that subconsciously influenced the way I think.”

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka pored through public records, spoke with Zambian and Indian authorities, and reached out to former Zambian government officials to identify the precise location of Gopalan’s home. Harris’ family members also offered memories about the home, which helped with the embassy’s search, the White House official said.

The confirmation came just in time for Harris’ weeklong trip to Africa; the U.S. embassy identified the location while Harris was in Ghana, the first stop of her visit to the continent, a few days ago. The Zambian Ministry of Lands confirmed that 16 Independence Ave. was indeed Gopalan’s home, through a March 9, 1967 public lands document.

As Harris toured the location, U.S. embassy official Elizabeth Norikane told the vice president that she had been searching for the precise spot for a year.

Zambia has celebrated Harris’ childhood ties to the country. On the drive from the airport into the city, Harris was greeted by signs that read: “Welcome back to Zambia.”