Honour of Senior Counsel
The honour of Senior Counsel is conferred by the President on recommendation of the Honours Committee under section 52 of the Legal Education and Legal Practitioners Act. A legal practitioner may apply, in a prescribed manner, to the Attorney General for letters patent entitling him to be conferred the honour of Senior Counsel if the legal practitioner is of irreproachable character, has been practising the profession of the law for a period of or for periods amounting in all to at least fifteen (15) years whether in public service or otherwise; and has made significant contribution towards the development of the law in Malawi. The Honours Committee, may on its own motion, recommend to the President that a legal practitioner be conferred the honour of Senior Counsel. The Honour of Senior Counsel subsists for life and may only be withdrawn by the President upon recommendation for the Honours Committee, where circumstances arise which would otherwise disqualify a person from being conferred the honour of Senior Counsel.
The President may confer the honour of Senior Counsel on a sitting Attorney General or Solicitor General who has served that office for at least two (2) years. The President may, after consultation with the Honours Committee, confer on any person, as he deems fit, the honour of Senior Counsel honoris causa (honorary Senior Counsel) if the person consents to the conferment. On 3rd July 2025, the President of the Republic of Malawi conferred the honour of Senior Counsel on the following legal practitioners:
- Mr. Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda SC
- Mr. Allison M’bang’ombe SC
- Mr. Kamudoni Nyasulu SC
- Mr. Ralph Mhone SC
- Mr. Maziko Sauti Phiri SC
- Ms. Emily Makuta SC
- Mr. Titus Mvalo SC
- Mr. Pempho Likongwe SC
- Mr. James Masumbu SC
- Ms. Innocentia Ottober SC
- Mr. Marshal Chilenga SC
- Mr. Garton Kainja SC (posthumously)
- Mr. Alexius Nampota SC (posthumously)
This brings the total number of senior counsels to 23. The following are other senior counsels:
- Krishna Savjani, OBE, SC
- Modecai Ronnie Msisha, SC
- Stephen Dick Matenje, SC
- Henry Duncan Dama Phoya, SC
- Patrice Chikumbutso Nkhono, SC
- Shabir Latif, SC
- Kalekeni Kaphale, SC
- Alan William J. Chinula, SC
- Samuel Baston Tembenu, SC
- Bright Msaka SC
- Gertrude Hiwa, SC
- Janet Banda SC