By Pemphero Malimba:
Pressure from the Malawi Law Society (MLS) has forced the postponement of the ceremony to signify the appointment of Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda as a senior counsel (SC).
The event to signify Nyirenda’s appointment was expected to take place today in Lilongwe, where President Lazarus Chakwera was expected to attend and preside over.
Ministry of Justice spokesperson Frank Namangale confirmed the development last night.
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“The postponement has been done to allow the Malawi Law Society, together with its Honours Committee, to reconsider the decision to confer [on] Nyirenda [the status] of SC,” Namangale said.
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The ministry’s secretary and solicitor general Allison Mbang’ombe announced Nyirenda’s appointment through a letter dated August 23 2024.
And in a letter dated August 24 2025, MLS, through its president Patrick Mpaka, questioned Nyirenda’s eligibility.
He observed that the letter announcing the proposed conferment on Nyirenda was not as a result of service in the office of the Attorney General for more than two years but on the basis of an application for such honour.
“The records of the society show that the Hon T.C Nyirenda was admitted to the bar on 22nd July 2008 and that he lodged the application on 13 July 2022. He had less than 15 years of practice at the bar. Nevertheless the application bore a declaration that its content was true. It is perceived that the contents of the application could not have been true at the date of its issuance in reference to the requirements of Section 52(2) of the Act as to the number of years of practising the profession,” MLS says.
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The society also wants the Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice Allison Mbang’ombe to explain the number of SCs that would have been conferred with the status.
“Information that has emerged suggests that more than three lawyers will be conferred with the honour of senior counsel on Monday 26 August 2024. It is considered that the authorities may wish to clarify this against the prescriptions in section 52 and 54 of the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act 2018,” he said.
He described the two issues as weighty legal matters that need further reflection of the society’s mandate.
Responding to the matter, Mbang’ombe said the society was responsible for providing further recommendations as the decision to confer the honour of SC on the selected legal practitioners was made through a recommendation from the society’s Honours Committee.
“If the Malawi Law Society is concerned that it overlooked certain legal aspects when making the recommendations to the authorities, there is an urgent need for the [Malawi] Law Society to convene a meeting of its Honours Committee to discuss the issues and advise the authorities accordingly,” he said in a letter dated August 25 2024.
He said he was in agreement with the concerns.
“I have noted the issues raised in the letter and wish to agree with your observation that the matters are weighty legal matters,” he said.
