diff --git a/molecule/default/vars.yml b/molecule/default/vars.yml
index cd8ebf3e..b4741994 100644
--- a/molecule/default/vars.yml
+++ b/molecule/default/vars.yml
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ amq_streams_broker_config_files_requires_privilege_escalation: "{{ amq_streams_i
 amq_streams_cruise_control_path_to_capacity_file_require_priv_escalation: "{{ amq_streams_install_requires_become | default(true) }}"
 amq_streams_cruise_control_logfiles_requires_priv_escalation: "{{ amq_streams_install_requires_become | default(true) }}"
 amq_streams_connect_source_file_require_priv_escalation: "{{ amq_streams_install_requires_become | default(true) }}"
+amq_streams_common_product_version: 3.9.0
diff --git a/roles/amq_streams_common/README.md b/roles/amq_streams_common/README.md
index db62d789..a1e8553b 100644
--- a/roles/amq_streams_common/README.md
+++ b/roles/amq_streams_common/README.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Common tasks for the collection.
 
 | Variable | Description | Default |
 |:---------|:------------|:--------|
-|`amq_streams_common_product_version` | Kafka version | `3.4.0` |
+|`amq_streams_common_product_version` | Kafka version | `4.1.1` |
 |`amq_streams_common_scala_version` | Scala version | `2.13` |
 |`amq_streams_common_version` | Combination version | `{{ amq_streams_common_scala_version }}-{{ amq_streams_common_product_version }}` |
 |`amq_streams_common_archive_file` | Kafka binary package | `kafka_{{ amq_streams_common_version }}.tgz` |
diff --git a/roles/amq_streams_common/defaults/main.yml b/roles/amq_streams_common/defaults/main.yml
index 1b412c5a..07f09a84 100644
--- a/roles/amq_streams_common/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/amq_streams_common/defaults/main.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-amq_streams_common_product_version: 3.6.0
+amq_streams_common_product_version: 4.1.1
 amq_streams_common_rhn_product_version: 2.6.0
 amq_streams_common_rhn_home_dir: "kafka_2.13-{{ amq_streams_common_product_version }}.redhat-00005"
 amq_streams_common_rhn_product_path: /opt
diff --git a/roles/amq_streams_common/meta/argument_specs.yml b/roles/amq_streams_common/meta/argument_specs.yml
index 1c60254b..0a394de9 100644
--- a/roles/amq_streams_common/meta/argument_specs.yml
+++ b/roles/amq_streams_common/meta/argument_specs.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ argument_specs:
     main:
         options:
             amq_streams_common_product_version:
-                default: 3.4.0
+                default: 4.1.1
                 description: "Version of Apache Kafka to download and install"
                 type: "str"
             amq_streams_common_scala_version:
diff --git a/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/README.md b/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/README.md
index cb1557b1..352458cb 100644
--- a/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/README.md
+++ b/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # Zookeeper Role
 
+> NOTE: *Starting with Kafka 4.0.0, ZooKeeper support has been removed in favor of KRaft (Kafka Raft Metadata) mode. Consequently, this role includes a version check mechanism. To use this role, ensure you are targeting a Kafka version `<= 3.9.x`. More can be found in [Apache Kafka 4.0.0 Release Announcement](https://kafka.apache.org/blog#apache_kafka_400_release_announcement)*
+
 Perform installation and configuration of Zookeeper ensemble.
 
 This role requires to have a `zookeepers` group (identified by the
@@ -72,3 +74,4 @@ Apache License v2.0 or later
 * [Romain Pelisse](https://github.com/rpelisse)
 * [Guido Grazioli](https://github.com/guidograzioli)
 * [Roman Martin](https://github.com/rmarting)
+* [Ranabir Chakraborty](https://github.com/RanabirChakraborty)
diff --git a/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/tasks/main.yml b/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/tasks/main.yml
index 6d635ed1..5f9ba92e 100644
--- a/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/amq_streams_zookeeper/tasks/main.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
 ---
+- name: "Validate Kafka version is compatible with Zookeeper (< 4.0.0)"
+  ansible.builtin.assert:
+    that:
+      - amq_streams_common_product_version is version('4.0.0', '<')
+    fail_msg: "ERROR: You are trying to run Zookeeper with Kafka {{ amq_streams_common_product_version }}. Zookeeper is removed from Kafka 4.0.0 (KRaft mode is required)."
+    success_msg: "Kafka version {{ amq_streams_common_product_version }} is compatible with Zookeeper."
+
 - name: "Ensure user for zookeeper exists (if provided)."
   ansible.builtin.include_role:
     name: amq_streams_common