A few weeks before Christmas, Joseph (name withheld) was arrested by police officers from Mwanza on theft charges. He was suspected of having broken into a chicken kraal and stolen six chickens from his colleague, who lives in the same village as him.
When he was taken to court, he represented himself, as he had no means of hiring a private lawyer. At that time, he was told of the reasons for his arrest, and he took a plea.
Joseph is a motorcycle taxi operator, and he uses that trade for his day-to-day sustenance. Upon admitting to the court that he stole the chickens, he was sent to Mwanza Prison to await his next court appearance.
It was at this moment that officers from the Malawi Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) were conducting prison visits across the country to scale up the assistance provided to inmates. Joseph explained that he was remorseful for the offence he committed and was willing to pay for the chickens he stole.
“I sold the chickens at a total cost of MK50,000. I am not proud of what I did, and I want to tell the court that I am ready to return the money or at least get a lenient sentence,” he explained to one of the lawyers that he interfaced with during the prison visit.
When LAB officers visit prisons, they mostly meet people who are on remand and have no legal representation due to financial constraints, which hinders their ability to assist with their cases. The assistance rendered to them varies from applying for their bail to acquittals.
In Joseph’s case, Principal Legal Aid Advocate Chikondi Kasambara listened carefully to what transpired and advised him on how to address the court for him to get a lesser sentence even if he were to have no lawyer beside him.
As other officers were attending to the needs of inmates at Mwanza Prison, similar visits were also made to Nkhatabay, Dedza, Ntcheu, Mulanje, Mangochi, Rumphi, and Nkhotakota prisons.
Station Officer for Mwanza Prison, Superintendent Msiska, commended the visit, saying the inmates are always hopeful when they see legal aid coming for them.
“We always receive people accused of various crimes here, and most of them have no lawyers to represent them. Meeting a lawyer who offers legal advice and assistance at no or little cost is like manna falling from heaven,” added Msiska.
The prison visits were funded by the UNDP Malawi and were conducted from 18 to 23 December 2025.
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