CEJ Welcomes Zambia’s Plan For Environment Court

The Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) has welcomed plans by the Judiciary to establish a specialised Lands and Environment Court.

Recently, Chief Justice Mumba Malila, while addressing newly-appointed and promoted judges in Lusaka, announced plans to establish the court to address the growing number and complexity of land and environmental disputes.

Reacting to the development in a statement today, CEJ Executive Director Maggie Mapalo Mwape stated that the current court system is not adequately equipped to handle complex environmental cases.

Ms. Mwape added that under a project dubbed “LIFT Zambia,” funded by Norwegian Church Aid and Dan Church Aid, the organization has been advocating for the establishment of an environmental court.

Ms. Mwape observed that mining has brought economic benefits but also severe social costs, citing Kabwe’s lead poisoning and the 2025 Sino Metals mine spill, which affected over 2,000 households.

She noted that communities continue to endure pollution, land degradation, and health crises due to weak enforcement and delayed justice, with some cases taking up to five years to resolve.

Ms. Mwape advanced that a specialized court would bring faster resolution with judges possessing focused expertise in environmental and land matters.

She said that consistent rulings on technical matters like surveying, planning, and environmental law would reduce the backlog in general courts, where land cases currently account for over 40 per cent of all pending matters.

Ms. Mwape further stated that the Chief Justice has shown readiness for the court, following prior dialogues with the judiciary on the matter.

She noted that a parliamentary motion has also demonstrated political will for the establishment of the environmental court.

Ms. Mwape emphasized that environmental justice must be timely and accessible to all Zambians, regardless of their location.

She said that the position paper, informed by community voices from recent provincial consultations in Kabwe and Serenje districts, will be submitted to the Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment.