Equality Before the Law or an Empty Promise: The Rule of Law and the Poor in Malawi

Join IADRU and JUSTICE for an insightful lecture exploring the rule of law, human rights, and access to justice in Malawi and across Africa.

Our esteemed guest lecturer Justice Zione Ntaba is a Judge of the High Court of Malawi, presiding over cases at the High Court Zomba Registry in the Eastern Judicial Region. She is recognised for her work in constitutional and human rights law, particularly in advancing access to justice for vulnerable groups. She began her career at the Ministry of Justice as a prosecutor, civil litigator, and legislative draftsperson, and later served as the inaugural Director of Legal Affairs and Board Secretary at the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority. Her legal interests also span energy and international law, and she is passionate about development issues as well as gender, children’s, and disability rights.

The lecture will explore the rule of law and the challenges in Africa for the protection of human rights as fundamental constitutional tenets, and the role of courts in upholding these principles. Focusing on access to justice – both substantive and procedural – it will consider how poor and marginalised individuals and communities seek redress when their rights are violated. Drawing on Malawi’s legal developments since the 1994 Constitution, the lecture will examine questions of equality and non-discrimination, and reflect on the broader challenges facing constitutionalism and the rule of law in Malawi and across Africa.