LAB Officials at the meeting
The Parliamentary cluster committee on legal affairs and government assurance is expected to present a report in parliament that will lobby for an increase in funding for the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB).
During meetings the cluster committee has been having over the past weeks, several government departments and agencies, including LAB, have presented their sentiments on what the government can do to assist in their operations.
A meeting that the Bureau had with the cluster committee in Lilongwe revealed that the treasury allocated K699 million and was revised downwards to K580 million in the 2022/23 financial year. The funds according to the Bureau’s Director, Trouble Kalua, were mostly used for day-to-day operations which included medical insurance, motor vehicle maintenance, procuring motorcycles for district offices, and stationery purchase among others.
“We were not able to acquire new motor vehicles and so we continued to service our old fleet which is a very big drain on our resources. Our vision is that we want to move to a situation where we are putting lawyers in the district offices.
It is a milestone to have a lawyer stationed at a district office, but without a motor vehicle it is a big problem,” added Kalua.
He was however quick to mention that the Bureau is ready to have an engagement with the treasury on what can be done to have more funds pumped into the institution for it to operate smoothly. Kalua, therefore, indicated that an addition of at least K400 million would make a difference in giving a better service to people with insufficient means.
In response, a representative of the ministry of finance in the meeting, Kondwani Munthali, pointed out that the amount requested is reasonable and the ministry has taken note of the prayer.
On his part, Chairperson for the cluster committee, Francis Belekanyama, commended the work Legal Aid Bureau is doing for indigent Malawians and further recommended that more funds should be lobbied for.
“The Bureau has been doing a tremendous job and it is seriously important to have its funding adjusted upwards. Most members here can also attest to the assistance their constituents have been rendered and it would be great if more people were accorded the same,” explained Belekanyama.
The requested additional funding is meant for among others the procurement of more motorcycles for remaining district offices, computers for the migration of case management to digital, maintenance of office structures, replenishing of the Legal Aid Fund, and carrying out an induction for new officers.
In the previous financial year, the Bureau registered over 4600 cases and hopes to carry out more prison visits, camp courts, awareness campaigns, and open more district offices this financial year.
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