Hon. Justice Irene Chirwa Mambilima, Zambia’s first female Chief Justice was appointed on February 26, 2015.
Justice Mambilima earned her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zambia and a Master of Laws from the University of London, being admitted to the bar in 1977. Before becoming Chief Justice, she served as Deputy Chief Justice from 2008 to 2015, and held various roles in the judiciary since joining as a Commissioner of the High Court in 1985.
Her notable positions included Judge of the High Court from 1989 to 2002, where she became Judge-in-Charge of the Lusaka High Court in 1996 and the High Court Commercial List in 2000. She acted as a Supreme Court Judge in 2000, later being ratified in 2002. Additionally, Justice Mambilima served as a Sessional Judge of the Supreme Court of the Gambia in 2003.
Her leadership extended to electoral management, having chaired the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) from 2005 to 2015, overseeing significant elections including the presidential and parliamentary votes in 2006 and 2011. Justice Mambilima was also involved in international election observation missions in several countries.
Prior to her judicial career, she worked in the government as a State Advocate and Director of the Legal Aid Department within the Ministry of Legal Affairs. She contributed to legal scholarship as Chairperson of the Zambian Council of Law Reporting and served on various boards, including Child Fund Zambia.
A member of multiple professional associations, including the Zambia Association of Women Judges, Justice Mambilima’s legacy as a champion for gender equality and justice endures, marking her as a significant figure in Zambian legal history.
Unfortunately Justice Mambilima passed away on June 20, 2021, at the age of 69 leaving behind a trailblazing history in the Zambian judiciary.
