Meet: Agness Patemba
This QUEEN is a lawyer who rose through the judicial ranks to become High Court Judge. Agnes was born second in a family of eight. This queen rose from humble beginnings, from selling paraffin, sugarcane and boiled sweet potatoes in Kawale Township, Lilongwe. To becoming one of Malawis most respected judges.
From Likuni Girls Secondary School, she was selected to Chancellor College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in education humanities. After her first year, she applied for law and in 2004; she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in law.
Agnes immediately joined the Judiciary as a magistrate in Lilongwe. She was transferred to Mzuzu High Court as assistant registrar in May 2005.
And in 2009, she was transferred to the Industrial Relations Court on the same position.
This queen went on to acquire a master’s degree in women’s law from the University of Zimbabwe in 2014.
One of the issues this queen addresses is the high rate of gender-based violence (GBV) in Malawi. She does that through the courtroom and never holds back when it comes to sentencing these crimes. Judge Agnes observed that GBV cases are rampart, and she thinks the courts can do better to protect girls. Her idea of protecting the girls was to incarcerate perpetrators for longer periods of time.
Through her work, Agnes addresses other issues and challenges such as marriage, financial matters, criminal cases and labour or employment conflicts.
This queen is passionate about speedy court trials and delivery of judgments, knowing that people mostly use the courts as a last resort to challenges they face.
Her greatest achievements include the rehabilitation of district courts, functional review for the Judiciary and serving in the office of the registrar.
Besides her work, Agnes also works with the Student Christian Organisation of Malawi (Scom).
This phenomenal queen is motivated by the relief people get when they have been successfully assisted with a case or problem, particularly those from remote areas.
Her advice to girls is to never nurse the idea of marrying an educated person or a chief executive officer for a good life.
In her free time, she loves spending time with her family as well as friends. She also likes travelling and listening to worship songs
Comments