Director calls for reasonable tribunal fee
Viillage heads and group village heads in the area of Senior Chief Mwadzama in Nkhotakota have been advised to be charging reasonable tribunal fees to enable vulnerable groups to access primary justice.
Director of chiefs in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Lawrence Makonokaya gave the advice recently at Chakaka Teachers’ Development Centre in the area where he met chiefs on the implementation of the Primary Justice Programme.
Makonokaya, who is also coordinator of the programme in the ministry, said the tribunal fee charged by some chiefs is a deterrent to vulnerable groups that want to access primary justice such as women, children and the elderly.
“If the tribunal fee is high, some vulnerable members of society will be discouraged from bringing various cases before tribunals, thereby defeating the essence of the programme,” he said.
Makonokaya also advised the traditional leaders to be corrupt-free in executing their duties.
“You should be aware of each and every development taking place in your area and you should be supervising various projects. You should also utilise the councillors to develop your respective areas,” he said.
Group Village Head Imbe said through the Primary Justice Programme, chiefs have learnt how to handle various disputes.
” The project has also eased pressure on the police because some issues are sorted out at village level. There is a good working relationship between traditional leaders and the police,” said Imbe.
