AS ZAMBIA continues mourning the death of founding President Kenneth Kaunda, Chief Justice Irene Chirwa Mambilima and many other people the country has lost in the last one week or so, we would like to reflect on the life of the first female Chief Justice.
Ms Justice Mambilima, 69, died on Sunday in a private hospital in Cairo, Egypt before the country could even come to terms with the loss of its founding father, Dr Kaunda, thereby rendering the atmosphere even gloomier.
In her 44-year career as legal professional, Ms Justice Mambilima has contributed immensely to the growth of the justice system in the country including in the introducing of legal reforms.
We are informed that the late Chief Justice has been a meticulous, meritorious and dedicated lawyer and Judge throughout her profession.
That, we have no doubt, is what saw her rise through the ranks, since her admission to the bar in 1977.
It is no wonder that she stood professionally tall among all learned men and women in the country, distinguishing herself in the delivery of justice and winning herself a seat as the topmost legal professional.
Her appointment as the first female Chief Justice in February 2015 was, therefore, in recognition of her illustrious performance as a distinguished officer of the court.
We remember that before her appointment as Chief Justice, she served as Deputy Chief Justice of Zambia from 2008 to 2015 having served in various positions within the Judiciary since she first joined as a Commissioner of the High Court in 1985.
In May 2015 while addressing 75 new barristers during their admission to the bar, Ms Justice Mambilima beseeched them in the conduct of their profession to, by all means, pursue nothing less than excellence.
She wanted to see lawyers handling their clients’ cases to the best of their professional abilities noting that if not sure about a legal point, lawyers should not give legal to their client advice at all until they have done ample legal research and/or consultation.
She rightly believed, and that paid her off, that hard work is an inescapable attribute of any good lawyer.
For her, the open secret to being a meritorious and successful lawyer was through painstakingly preparing for any case before going to appear before a judge or magistrate.
Two of Ms Justice Mambilima’s most high-profile decisions were on the tribunals constituted to investigate alleged corruption and abuse of office by a former Transport and Communications Minister in the Rupiah Banda administration and the former Director of Public Prosecutions in the late President Michael Sata administration.
For her leadership peculiarities, Ms Justice Mambilima twice served as Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson between 2005 and 2015 and presided over the 2006 and 2011 general elections and the 2015 presidential by-election.
This is the legal professional, who was so meticulous and meritorious, that the country has lost in Judge Mambilima.
As a legal mind, she became a reservoir of legal knowledge, while as a female professional, she was the first to occupy the topmost legal position in the country.
The Judiciary, the legal fraternity and the entire nation will definitely miss her great contribution to the dispensation of justice.
Fare thee well Lady Chief Justice Mambilima!