By Franklin Jumbe
Your Excellency,
I write not in anger at your leadership, but in deep frustration with the Council for Legal Education— an institution entrusted under your administration to serve Malawians, yet now it has, with contempt, chosen to obstruct your government’s vision. Instead of fostering opportunities for our youth, it has become an agent of delay and despair, stifling the progress of over 50 University of Malawi (Unima) law graduates.
Their futures hang in limbo, choked by an unrelenting silence so profound it risks crushing their hopes entirely. Your Excellency, during the tenure of your predecessor Peter Mutharika, the Democratic Progressive Party introduced a draconian law that unjustly compelled Unima law graduates to attend the Malawi Institute of Legal Education (Mile) before being admitted to the bar. This was not a law born of reason, but a political weapon designed to punish Unima for maintaining its rigorous standards, standards that likely excluded the unqualified children of the elite who ventured abroad for law degrees from private institutions.
Since its founding over five decades ago, Unima law graduates have entered the legal profession directly, without the need for Mile. Only those who pursued their legal education abroad were required to take this additional step to familiarise themselves with our local legal procedures. Unima graduates , however, are thoroughly trained in the nuances of our Malawian jurisdiction, having been r igorously prepared in these very procedures throughout their studies. Forcing them into Mile through this legislation was a clear act of malice and bad faith. Under your administration, the injustice of this requirement was recognised and you took bold action to correct it.
Your government, in its wisdom, amended the law, freeing Unima law graduates from this unnecessary burden. The amendment was passed by Parliament and you, Mr President, rightly signed it into law. It was a triumph for common sense and fairness.
Yet, here we are, eight months later, and your Council for Legal Education has done nothing to assess Unima’s law curriculum, as required by the new law. This simple act of assessment is all that stands between these young graduates and their rightful place in the legal profession. Eight months have passed and the council has neither moved nor given an explanation. I was not born yesterday— this has all the hallmarks of pure, calculated sabotage.
Your Excellency, this council’s inaction is not just a bureaucratic oversight; it is an attack on the future of our children, on your vision and on the very principle of fairness that your government stands for. The future of these law graduates is being held hostage by a council that seems to have forgotten its purpose. I urge you, Mr President, to hold the chairperson of this council accountable. We are in an election year, and the people of Malawi deserve to witness a government that works decisively in their interest.
The Council for Legal Education’s failure to act is more than just bureaucratic inertia; it is a direct betrayal of your administration’s commitment to the people. At the very least, one would expect the council members to embody the spirit of comity, recognising Unima as their equal, a kindred institution devoted to the same cause of public service.
Both are born of the same legislative womb, yet the Council for Legal Education is behaving as though Unima is an adversary, rather than an ally in this shared mission. However, Your Excellency, if these council members think your wisdom, the considered judgement of your Cabinet and the clear intent of Parliament, which exempted Unima graduates from Mile, hold no weight, let them say it boldly. Their silence is not just distasteful; it is a grave disservice to the nation.
Your Excellency, I trust you will rise to the challenge and fight for these law graduates; many from desperate, poverty-stricken families—whose success is the lifeline their loved ones cling to in the fight against poverty.
Disgruntled guardian, Mangochi
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