The courtroom is not the only place where justice begins.
Sometimes, the first conversation happens at a palace. Sometimes it happens in a chiefdom, around a community dispute, or when a village headman is confronted with a problem that has the potential to become a criminal case.

During the first-ever National Prosecution Authority (NPA) Week, prosecutors travelled into those spaces to begin a conversation with traditional leaders about the law, crime and the role they can play in strengthening access to justice.

In Southern Province, NPA teams engaged Chief Hamunsonde’s Palace in Bweengwa, Chief Macha’s Palace in Macha and Chief Sikute’s Chiefdom in Kazungula.

In Luapula, the provincial team paid a courtesy call on His Royal Highness Dr. Chief Chisunka of the Ushi People, who also serves as Chairman of Traditional Leaders in the province.

The conversations were grounded in the realities of rural communities.

Prosecutors discussed offences and disputes commonly encountered at community level, including murder, stock theft, gender-based violence, common assault and criminal trespass arising from land disputes, as well as early child marriage and defilement.

In Luapula, the discussion also touched on allegations of witchcraft and beliefs surrounding ichitaleme, locally described as the moving coffin ritual.

But the conversations were not simply about listing offences.

They were about drawing a clearer line between matters that can be resolved through traditional and alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms and those that require the formal criminal justice system.

Traditional leaders play a critical role in resolving minor disputes and maintaining peace within communities. The NPA engagement provided an opportunity to strengthen that understanding while reinforcing the importance of referring criminal matters to the appropriate authorities.

At Chief Hamunsonde’s Palace, the idea of collaborative legal empowerment forums to take legal awareness deeper into villages was well received. Village headmen also raised concerns about stock theft, while palace leadership expressed willingness to work with the NPA to expand legal awareness and promote peaceful dispute resolution.
Check out images of that engagement below.

In Luapula, Chief Chisunka undertook to engage fellow traditional leaders on issues raised during the meeting, creating a channel through which the NPA’s message can travel beyond a single palace and into wider communities.
We shall photos of this meeting below.

It was an important shift in the way the prosecutor was seen.

Not as someone who appears only when a matter reaches court, but as part of a justice system that must understand the community, communicate with its leadership and help people understand where the law begins, where traditional dispute resolution can assist, and where criminal conduct must be reported.

The engagements also reflected a central idea behind NPA Week: justice becomes more accessible when people understand the institutions responsible for delivering it.

And for the NPA, that means going where the people are—including the chiefdoms.