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Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by fergie001: 6:51pm On Jun 20, 2021
CHIEF JUSTICE MAMBILIMA IS DEAD

...while on official duty in Egypt


A statement from Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr. Simon Miti seen by Byta FM News discloses that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu announces the passing of Justice Mambilima around 17hours on Sunday at private hospital in Cairo.

Miti says the late Chief Justice had travelled to Cairo on 10 June, 2021, on official business and fell ill whilst on duty in that country.

He has not disclosed the cause of death, but says further details will be availed to the nation in due course.

Mambilima joins over five influential figures, including founding father & Pan-Africanist Kenneth Kaunda, have died in the country within a space of less than seven days.

SOURCE

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Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Eriokanmi: 6:53pm On Jun 20, 2021
Na wah oo. Hope say no be covid-19.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by fergie001: 6:57pm On Jun 20, 2021
Often referred to as "Iron Lady"

Fare thee well, Ma

On February 26, 2015, Justice Irene Mambilima became the first woman Chief Justice of the Republic of Zambia, having served earlier as the country’s first female Deputy Chief Justice from 2008-2015. Mambilima was born on March 31, 1952, in Chiwoko village, located in the Eastern province of Zambia, the first of five children. Her father, Kezias Chirwa, was a bricklayer and her mother, Nelia Ngulube, was a full-time housewife. Mambilima is married to Joseph Mambilima, a retired Major in the Airforce. Mambilima is also a mother of five and a proud grandmother of ten.

Justice Mambilima was raised in Matero, a township in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. Matero is often known as “A City within a City”, comprised of mostly low-income groups. Mambilima’s upbringing among the poorest of the country in Matero is what ignited her desire for justice, leading her to a career in the legal profession. Mambilima went to Chingwele Primary School in Matero and then from 1967 to 1971 she attended Matero Girls High School for her Secondary School education. In 1972, she enrolled for a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree at the University of Zambia, where she graduated with merit in 1976. Thereafter, she obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree with merit from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 1977.

In 1977, Mambilima proceeded to the Law Practice Institute (now known as the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education) and obtained her practicing certificate as an advocate. While at the Law Practice Institute, she joined the Department of Civil Service Training as a learner legal practitioner. During this period, Mambilima worked at the Legal Affairs Ministry as well as at the Lands and Deeds Registry. She also worked at the Legal Aid Department (now known as the Legal Aid Board), which she later led.

Since her admission to the bar in 1977, Justice Mambilima has served in various government capacities. As a determined and hardworking legal practitioner, she was immediately recruited as a State Advocate in the Attorney General’s Chambers and rose through the ranks to Senior State Advocate. During this time, she also served in the international agreements department for four years (1980 – 1984). This position allowed her to advise the Government on loans and bilateral and multilateral agreements, as well as represent the Republic of Zambia as an alternate delegate at the United Nations General Assembly. After only seven years practicing the law, Mambilima proved herself and took the mantle as Director of the Legal Aid Board, serving as its first female Director. As director, she helped vulnerable individuals in society obtain pro bono legal advice and access to justice.

In December 1985, Mambilima joined the Judiciary of Zambia as High Court Commissioner before becoming a Puisne Judge only three years later. During her tenure as Judge-in-Charge of the High Court, Justice Mambilima spearheaded the review of the civil procedure rules and the re-introduction of court-annexed mediation. She also chaired an ad hoc Committee that proposed far-reaching structural changes to the Zambian Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Investigations.

After serving as Puisne Judge and as High Court Judge-in-Charge between 1989 and 1996, Mambilima was then elevated to the Supreme Court bench in 2002. She served the nation as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) from August 2005 to March 2008, then ascended to the office of Deputy Chief Justice in 2008. As ECZ Chairperson, Justice Mambilima presided over the 2006 presidential and parliamentary general elections, the 2011 presidential and parliamentary elections, and the 2015 presidential election. She has also participated in election observer missions in Mozambique, Kenya, and Seychelles and has led the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) Election Observation Mission to the presidential elections in Liberia. Justice Mambilima served a second term at the helm of the Commission from 2011 to 2015, when she was then appointed Chief Justice of the Republic of Zambia.

Justice Mambilima has been a sought-after speaker at different judicial and electoral seminars and conferences, at which she has presented papers on election management, alternative dispute resolution, gender, and democracy, among others. She is a member of several professional associations, among them the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), the Zambia Association of Women Judges, the Council of Law Reporting, and Child Fund Zambia. She is also a prominent member of the regional organization Southern African Chief Justices’ Forum (SACJF) comprised of sixteen member states that concentrate on promoting democracy and the rule of law.

Mambilima has received various recognitions for her accomplishments. In 2019, the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) recognized Chief Justice Mambilima for her presentation on “Scaling Access to Justice through Technology” at the World Bank’s Law, Justice, and Development week. One of Justice Mambilima’s greatest passions is equal access to justice. Because she was raised by parents who believed in equal opportunities for their children, Justice Mambilima has made access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized groups her number one priority. Therefore, it came as no surprise that among her first tasks as Chief Justice, she launched the first fast-track courts dedicated to hearing gender-based violence (GBV) cases. The courts, which exist in six provinces in Zambia, have helped tremendously to raise awareness, to boost confidence in women and girls to report cases of GBV, and successfully prosecute GBV cases. The number of GBV cases reported nearly doubled from 14,097 in 2013 to 22,073 in 2018, while cases withdrawn from court reduced significantly.

Justice Mambilima’s determination to achieve gender parity has been the hallmark of her leadership. Since ascending to the helm of the judiciary, Justice Mambilima has achieved 52% gender parity on the bench in the superior courts. In her own words:

“We are not there yet, but great strides are being made to narrow the gap…slowly but surely, we shall attain the optimum numbers, especially that females account for 52.3 per cent of the working population compared to males at 47.7 percent.”

To this end, Justice Mambilima actively participates in activities aimed at finding ways to alleviate poverty and increase access to justice. She is a firm believer that only when people are conscious of their rights can they come to court to assert those rights. Her message to women and girls that the key to empowerment is education has been consistent.

“Women are the most vulnerable…the highest levels of poverty are among women. The rate of literacy is lowest among the women. Women do not have resources to litigate and often do not know their rights . . . Women must be educated so that they can assert themselves.”

The impact of Justice Mambilima’s service and contribution to the development of law in Zambia has been enormous. As a trail blazer for many women and girls who aspire to reach positions of leadership, Chief Justice Mambilima epitomizes the spirit of hard work and humility, tempered with a sense of justice. For Justice Mambilima, access to justice can take different forms. She feels that the courts must be taken closer to the people, especially to rural and peri-urban areas, where low-income people reside and where courts area largely absent. She has also consistently advocated for the simplification of court procedures and that both adjudicators and support staff be more approachable.

“The procedures and evidential rules must be simplified or user-friendly to the litigants as this would go a long way in encouraging the general population, including women, to access the justice system. As it is, even an average enlightened person generally finds the court environment intimidating.”

Away from the bench, Justice Mambilima has also educated women in her local church on issues related to property and land rights. She has a deep conviction that education can open doors for many young people like it did for her. Mambilima appreciates that both men and women are the nation’s greatest asset and that if both are allowed to exploit their full potential, then they can contribute to national development.

4 Likes

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Bambarino: 7:06pm On Jun 20, 2021
RIP

3 Likes

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by korm2me(m): 7:07pm On Jun 20, 2021
RIP
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by xpressionx(m): 7:07pm On Jun 20, 2021
May she rest in peace

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Udodiri01: 7:07pm On Jun 20, 2021
When will it be Nigerians turn

5 Likes

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Cti28(m): 7:07pm On Jun 20, 2021
E
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Hillarie(m): 7:07pm On Jun 20, 2021
Hmm. Just a day after the death of the nation's founding father, Kenneth Kaunda.
Rest in peace, the real slay queen!

1 Like

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Generalwoodz(m): 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
In one certain country, some people are saying that death took the wrong person instead of B.....

5 Likes 1 Share

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by ddigeo(m): 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
May her soul rest in peace..
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by dfrost: 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
What a career. embarassed

At the end of the day, we all return to dust.

1 Like

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Parrie(m): 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
Hmmmm, when will buhari also go for official duty in cairo?

1 Like

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by oluwasegun007(m): 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
It is well...
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Bvlgari: 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
Sure say nor be corona dey finish dem codely for zambia so
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by FatherCHRlSTMAS: 7:08pm On Jun 20, 2021
No one know the hour or minutes

1 Like

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by ADdayo12: 7:09pm On Jun 20, 2021
Read....
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by GIANTPLUSHUB: 7:09pm On Jun 20, 2021
Rip to her
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by money121(m): 7:09pm On Jun 20, 2021
R.ip
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by whela(m): 7:09pm On Jun 20, 2021
It is well...
Is there any conspiracy theories...

1 Like

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Sonnobax15(m): 7:09pm On Jun 20, 2021

Meanwhile,our Nigerian politicians wey suppose to dey jam their Waterloo like this don dey well trained on how to dey skip this kind of fate

Any ways,rip to the deceased...

2 Likes

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by zeusdgrt(m): 7:10pm On Jun 20, 2021
Rest well
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by bluefilm: 7:10pm On Jun 20, 2021
COVID why?

It's either the Egyptian strain of the deadly SCAMdemic virus killed the man.

Or some Egyptian harløts killed the man with sex.

Whatever be the case, something must kill a man.
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Nobody: 7:10pm On Jun 20, 2021
nawa o
may her soul rest in perfect peace Amen
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by BigManDesigns2: 7:10pm On Jun 20, 2021
Farewell ma'am.. We're all passengers in this world!

Please guys, patronize me.. I have an amazing offer for you. Check below.. Thanks

Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by bouncin04(m): 7:12pm On Jun 20, 2021
Righteousness2 food is ready cry
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by Pointnoire(m): 7:12pm On Jun 20, 2021
One of the reasons why you are encouraged to retire at 65, your body is no longer what it used to be it may vary from person to person sha
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by stunnert(m): 7:13pm On Jun 20, 2021
May her gentle and patriotic soul rest in peace

But I wonder why she isn't retired at 69 undecided
Re: Ireen Mambilima Is Dead! Zambia's Chief Justice Dies On Official Duty In Cairo by OmoOshodi(m): 7:15pm On Jun 20, 2021
Nigeria ..

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