LL chiefs commend Primary Justice Programme

Chiefs in Lilongwe have described as a success the Primary Justice Programme Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) is implementing in the district.

Speaking on behalf of the chiefs during an exit strategy meeting of the programme in Lilongwe on Friday, Senior Chief Kalumbu said although the four-year programme will phase out in March next year, they will use the knowledge and skills they have gained.

He said the programme’s impact in 13 out of the 18 traditional authorities (T/As) in the district where it is being implemented cannot go unnoticed.

“I can comfortably say justice and peace will always prevail in the district because of this programme, which has helped us a lot as chiefs, especially when handling complicated cases in our areas,” said Kalumbu.

CCJP Lilongwe Archdiocese head of programmes Patrick Chima said the project had three outputs, namely engendering the village tribunals, case recording and ensuring that women access land whenever there are disputes.

“For a long time our village tribunals have been male dominated. So, we felt it was important that we should empower women and give them a chance to air out their views in public. Again, we were targeting the women because, culturally, men are more advantaged than them,” he said. n