AG for accountable NGOs

Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda says he will ensure that public trusts and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are accountable and that they properly use money they collect on behalf of people.

He said this on Friday when delivering a keynote address at a Clinical Legal Education Symposium organised by University of Malawi’s (Unima) Faculty of Law, Class of 2022, in Blantyre.

Said Chakaka-Nyirenda: “As Attorney General, I represent the beneficiaries of charitable and public trusts…appearing on the part of government. Any case involving charities will require my office to be joined as a party.

“I may act against trustees in disputes, and take actions to recover property from third parties…My duty will, therefore, be to ensure that all charitable and public trusts in Malawi are accountable and that the funds they collect are properly used. Charities should, therefore, watch out,” Nyirenda warned

The AG told the class of 2022 that they were privileged to have undergone a practical and well-structured legal programme which allowed them to do several assignments, moot trials, tutorials, seminars and write essays.

Said Chakaka-Nyirenda: “These strategies build brilliant lawyers. I surely envy you because during our time we were never subjected to such a brilliant approach. I say this because no one can be a competent lawyer if they do not have practical legal skills.

“I have no doubt that this approach to studying law has made you to be increasingly analytical, independent, informed and questioning in addition to obtaining in-depth knowledge about the law.”

He said as they join the private and public sectors, people’s expectation is that they are well trained.

The AG advised: “Funny enough, you see files being sent to your office on your first day of work, asking you to perform certain tasks. For example, you may be asked to prepare submissions for a high profile case. If you throw away the skills and the knowledge you acquired while in college, you may face a risk of running away from your first job.

“My point here is not to scare you, but to advise you to use those valuable practical skills you acquired. There is an adage which says practice makes perfect. I urge you to keep practising to sharpen your skills.”

He advised that they must be willing to listen and learn from diverse minds at the workplace, adding some best practices for their profession may be learnt from their juniors who have been in the game for many years.

Said Chakaka-Nyirenda: “Again, always be willing to learn and respect your seniors as they are the custodians of very enriching and useful knowledge and experience.

“In my years as a student, Professor Garton Kamchedzera used to tell us that ‘a good economist must know something about the economy, a good medical practitioner must know everything about medicine and health…but a good lawyer must know something about everything.’

“By way of interpretation, it is my considered view that the professor meant that a lawyer must be on top of knowledge in his or her locality and across the borders. This quote has always inspired me to read and appreciate many things across the sea of knowledge.”

Other speakers at the symposium themed A Competent Counsel a Law Abiding Nation were Kamchedzera, High Court judge Mandala Mambulasa, Professor Chiwoza Bandawe, Director of Public Prosecutions Steven Kayuni, human management expert Buxton Kayuni, Davis Njobvu, Tadala Chimkwezule and Richard Mlambe.