People of enda Trading Centre and surrounding communities in Mzimba District have welcomed the rehabilitation of Jenda Magistrate’s Court, saying it will ease access to justice.
The residents said they previously used to travel long distances to attend court proceedings at Mzimba Boma, a distance of 47 kilometres which was costly and time consuming.
A resident Harward Zimba, from Chibisa Village in Traditional Authority Mabilabo, said in an interview on Monday that the court will improve the delivery of justice in the area.
“We are pleased that the court is closer to us because we will no longer spend money and time travelling to Mzimba Boma to attend court proceedings,” he said.
Another resident, Nicholas Saka, from Jenda Trading Centre, said the court will encourage people to report cases and seek justice when they face problems.
“We are pleased with this development because having a court nearby means that people can easily report cases and follow up on them without facing the difficulties of travelling far away,” he said.
Chief Justice Rizine Mzikamanda said the Judiciary was committed to bringing courts closer to people to improve access to justice.
He said it was unfortunate that people in Jenda had to travel to Mzimba Boma for their cases.
Mzikamanda said the newly rehabilitated court would ensure that people in Jenda and surrounding areas access justice closer to their homes.
He said letting people travel long distances to access justice was denying people access to justice which his office is trying hard to address by rehabilitating courts in most part of the country.
Jenda Police Station officer-in-charge Alexander Kaonga said the opening of the court will ease the burden on police officers who previously travelled to Mzimba Court for cases.
The court was rehabilitated to the tune of K22 million.
