Malawi Legal Aid Bureau

08/05/2026

Zindikilani kuti si chilichonse chomwe mukuyenera kupanga nawo. Ngati zochitika zina zingakugwetseni mmavuto, pewani kotheratu.

Mukamangidwa kuti mwapalamula, kubwalo la milandu sakakumverani chisoni kuti simumadziwa malamulo.

Malawi Law Commission

07/05/2026

𝐋𝐢𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞

The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting at Liwonde has acquitted 28-year-old Patrick Julius in a burglary and theft case after finding that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case.

The accused was charged with two counts of burglary and theft arising from an alleged incident that occurred on 8 February 2026 in Msamati Village, under Traditional Authority Nsamala in Balaka District. He was arrested on 15 February 2026 on suspicion of breaking into a house and stealing two smart TVs, a microwave, two pairs of shoes, a subwoofer, and a mobile phone.

Following his arrest, the accused sought legal assistance from the Legal Aid Bureau and was represented by Counsel Lovemore Gama Ngwira with assistance from Chief Legal Aid Advocate Raphael Makanje.

During the trial, the State called three witnesses in an effort to prove its case. However, at the close of the prosecution’s case, the defence made a submission of no case to answer, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient to link the accused to the alleged offences.

In particular, the prosecution failed to call material witnesses essential to its case and did not present key exhibits allegedly recovered from the accused’s house. These omissions created significant evidential gaps and undermined the prosecution’s case, leaving the evidence on record insufficient to warrant placing the accused on his defence.

In its ruling, the Court agreed with the defence and held that the prosecution had failed to meet the legal threshold required to put the accused on his defence. The Court further observed that none of the witnesses provided direct or reliable evidence placing the accused at the scene of the alleged crime or in possession of the stolen property.

In light of these shortcomings, the Court found that no reasonable tribunal, properly directing itself on the law and evidence, could convict the accused if called upon to make a defence.

Accordingly, the Court found that Patrick Julius had no case to answer and acquitted him.

06/05/2026

Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) ikuyendera wailesi zosiyanasiyana mdziko muno kuphunzitsa anthu za ntchito zake kudzela m’ma pulogalamu apadera.

Lolemba sabata ino, ofesiyi inali ku Nkhatabay komanso ku Mzuzu komwe inali ndi ma pulogalamu ku Chirundu FM komanso Voice of Livingstonia.

Ku Chirundu FM, wofalitsa nkhani za ofesiyi, John Namalenga Jnr, anali ndi Assistant Legal Aid Officer Khumbo Kapila pomwe ku Voice of Livingstonia anali ndi Principal Legal Aid Advocate Francis Machongo. Konseku, iwowa anakamba mwa tsatane tsatane wa momwe LAB imagwirila ntchito pothandiza anthu pa nkhani za malamulo.

Masana alero, Lachitatu, ofesiyi ili ku Mtunthama Broadcasting Station komanso Kasungu FM kupitilira ndi ma pulogalamu omwe akumapereka mwayi kwa omvera kufunsa mafunso.

Mtunthama Broadcasting Station: 3:30 pm (104.8Mhz)
Kasungu FM: 5:00 pm (107.6Mhz)

Ma pulogalamuwa akuchitika ndi thandizo lochokera ku European Union in Malawi pansi pa Chilungamo Programme 2.

04/05/2026

𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆!

Vacant post available is:

Process Server (1) Grade P – Lilongwe.

Interested candidates should submit application letters, Curriculum Vitae with three (3) traceable referees, and copies of professional certificates by hand or through the following address:

The Director
Malawi Legal Aid Bureau
Ulongwe Villas, Golden Peacock Building,
Off Presidential Way, Area 48,
Opposite Life Changers International Church,
P.O. Box 675,
Lilongwe.

All applications should reach the Director not later than 4:30 pm on Friday, 15th May 2026.

You can get a full description of the vacancy on: https://bit.ly/3Pfgp6p

04/05/2026

01/05/2026

On this Labour Day, we celebrate the dedication, professionalism, and hard work of every officer at the Legal Aid Bureau.

When serving you, we remain committed to delivering quality legal aid services with integrity, diligence, and excellence for all.

01/05/2026

Labour Day
Lero ofesi zathu ndi zotseka.

30/04/2026

𝐌𝐋𝐒 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐬

The High Court sitting as a Constitutional Court in Lilongwe has on Wednesday admitted the Malawi Law Society (MLS) to join a matter in which the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) is seeking judicial intervention to allow Courts to continue handling land disputes in the absence of functional Customary Land Tribunals.

The MLS becomes the second amicus to join the case, as the Women Lawyers Association (WLA) joined during the last Court session earlier this month.

The case, being heard by a panel of three judges including Justices Bruno Kalemba, Trouble Kalua and Gloria Namonde, arises from a complaint lodged with LAB by Daftale Kabvuma, who is facing eviction from land he has occupied since 2006.

During the Wednesday sitting, the Attorney General Chambers made an application to have the matter dismissed for being moot and academic on the grounds that the tribunals have been operationalized.

The Court therefore adjourned the matter to 26 May 2026 where it will hear the application and give directions on how to proceed.

Principal Legal Aid Advocate Clive Chiudzu, who is representing Kabvuma, has taken the matter to the Constitutional Court to seek redress not only for his client but also for many Malawians whose land-related cases remain unresolved due to the non-functionality of Customary Land Tribunals.

The tribunals, established under the Customary Land Regulations of 2018, were intended to adjudicate disputes arising from customary land tenure. However, their implementation has been slow in Lilongwe and across other parts of the country, creating significant challenges in accessing justice, as many land-related cases are unable to proceed in the High Court.

29/04/2026

Komwe kuli thandizo lapamwamba pa nkhani za malamulo kusakusoweni. Onani chithunzichi ndikuzindikila kuti mwa ofesi 23 za Legal Aid Bureau zomwe zilipo, yakuyandikilani ndi iti.

Nde mutipeze, tidzakuthandizeni. Inu omwe muli ochepekedwa. Ngati muli ndi funso lililonse, imbani 0881853591.

28/04/2026

𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞

The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting at Karonga, presided over by His Worship Chikwakwa, has acquitted Miriam Mboma and Catherine Mwanganda, who were charged with trafficking in persons or, alternatively, attempted trafficking in persons.

The State alleged that in February 2026, the two accused persons trafficked or attempted to traffic Lonely Yesaya and Rosemey Pakizani to the Republic of Tanzania.

Being of insufficient means, the accused sought legal representation from the Legal Aid Bureau and were represented by Senior Legal Aid Advocate Chestone Kapote.

During trial, the alleged victims told the Court that due to difficult financial circumstances, they had been searching for employment opportunities. In the course of that search, they approached relatives of the accused persons in Dowa, who linked them to the accused persons residing and doing piece work in Mbeya, Tanzania.

Evidence before the Court showed that when the accused travelled to Malawi for other engagements, the alleged victims contacted them and arrangements were made for all parties to meet at Karonga Boma before travelling. A third woman, who presented herself as also seeking employment, joined the alleged victims in Dowa and travelled with them to Karonga.

At the Songwe Border, both the accused and the alleged victims were arrested and taken into custody, while the third woman was released after it emerged that she had been working with police officers.

In its submissions, the defence argued that for the offences of trafficking in persons or attempted trafficking in persons to be established under Sections 2, 14, and 21 of the Trafficking in Persons Act, the prosecution had to prove three essential elements: the act, such as recruitment or transportation; the means, including threats, coercion, or force; and the purpose of exploitation, such as forced labour or organ removal.

In its judgment, the Court held that the prosecution had failed to establish the offence of either trafficking in persons or attempted trafficking in persons. The Court agreed with the defence that there was no evidence of coercion, threats, or force, and observed that it was the alleged victims themselves who approached the accused persons for assistance in securing employment opportunities. The Court further found no evidence that the accused intended to exploit the alleged victims.

The Court consequently ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the two women.

📷LAB Legal Aid Officer (right) with the two women and a husband to one of them.

27/04/2026

On Friday, 24 April 2026, officials from Old Mutual visited the Legal Aid Bureau Blantyre Regional Office, where they engaged staff on key aspects of financial management.

During the session, the team provided detailed insights into the Mthuzi Funeral Policy, emphasizing the importance of planning ahead and ensuring families are prepared in the event of funerals.

Staff members also gained practical knowledge on financial discipline, including the need for focused planning, prudent saving, and avoiding unsustainable debt while managing personal finances or running businesses.