Analysis by our Legal Analyst
The position of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has always been in the spotlight with the most famous DPPs being Kamdoni Nyasulu who prosecuted Malawis founding President Hastings Kamuzu Banda and Fahad Assani whose famous admission that 30 percent of national budget is stolen or lost through corruption, theft or mismanagement.
Masauko Esau Chamkakala therefore has been appointed to a position that has generated public interest due to its political implications.
His predecessor, Dr Steven Kayuni might have thought he was doing the best for his political masters. He leaves in one of the most spectacular disgraceful manner- accused of abusing his office to settle personal scores. That’s what he will always be remembered for.
He will also be remembered that his fights led Parliament to remove his powers to grant consent to ACB. What a legacy!
Chamkakala is coming from 7 years being at the helm of defending the poor using a very underfunded Department of Legal Aid. He has been Director since March 2015.
He has experience of working with nothing to deliver justice. Hopefully he will be one DPP that sides with Malawians, not politicians.
According to his public profile, the new DPP had two Master of Laws degrees one in Women’s Law from Univesity of Zimbabwe and the other in Good Governance and the Rule of Law from Northern Ohio University.
He might need to use the second one for this job. His Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) was obtained from the University of Malawi.
Chamkakala has also been in South Sudan with the World Bank where he says he was “Undertaking project assessments, investigations on malpractice in project administration including corruption, fraud, embezzlement.”
Malawians can only hope the new DPP will indeed use his skillls to end corrupt ‘colonies and empires’ that have taken root in public sphere.
Otherwise, he will be remembered as one of them.
