LEGAL AID COMMUNITEE’S REPORT (LUSAKA) FOR THE YEAR
ENDING 31ST MARCH, 2007
Composition of the committee
The Committee comprised of the following members:
Mr. Likando Kalaluka
Mrs. Anne Mwanza
Mr. Wilson Mweemba
Mr. M R Makasa
Mr. Edgar Lungu
Ms Beatrice F M Ng’onomo
Mrs. Kondwa Sakala-Chibiya
Mr. Owen Sinkamba
Mrs. Tafuna Mumba Phiri
Mr. Douglas Tambulukani
Mr. Bwembya Jonathan Malama
Hon Bradford Machila

Meetings
The Committee held meetings on 20th September 2006 and on 6th February, 2007.

The meeting of 20th September 2006 was generally intended for the members to get acquainted with one another and with the activities of the Committee, and to map up a strategy for the operations of the Committee. It was resolved not appoint a secretary for the Committee as secretaries will be appointed for each and every meeting.

Activities  
The Committee through one of its members, Mr. Owen Sinkamba, had represented and successfully defended the Ng’ombe residents who were arrested and prosecuted for riotous behavior following the riots that ensued after the killing of innocent children by some police officers.
The Committee also encouraged legal practitioners generally to take up pro bono cases and several legal practitioners responded positively and took up cases involving several foreign students who were remanded in custody without trial.

Members of the Committee and legal practitioners generally also took criminal cases under the auspices of the Legal Committee. The Committee had plans of taking up one of the High Court Criminal sessions in Lusaka, but this did not materialize. The Committee will try to achieve this in the coming year.

The Committee hosted the delegation from the Malawi International Penal Reform on 7th November, 2006 and there was informative exchange of experiences of how legal aid services are administered in the two legal systems. Some of the Committee members also attended a round table meeting at the Zamcom Lodge in Lusaka organised by the Legal Resources Foundation for purposes of sharing experiences on the extent of legal aid in Zambia and Malawi.

Conclusion
The Committee is committed to ensuring that legal aid services are available to as many vulnerable people in our communities as possible, but there has not been enough legal practitioners coming forward to take pro bono cases. Further, non attendances by members of the Committee when meetings are called, further denies the Committee of the resources and invaluable contributions on how best the legal aid scheme may be administered in Zambia.

The is also noteworthy to mention that the NORAD Fund which was used to reimburse expenses such as filing fees and fuel, incurred by legal practitioners who took up pro bono cases, has long been exhausted. There has been no willingness on the part of NORAD to provide further funds. The Committee is looking at other avenues of raising funds reimburse legal practitioners’ expenses, which will in turn encourage legal practitioners to take up pro bono cases.

Likando Kalaluka
Convenor

Legal Aid Committee
10th April, 2007

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