PROFILE
Hon. Lady. Justice Gertrude Chiti Mukuka Chawatama is a Judge of the Supreme Court, appointed on 27th May 2026. Prior to her current appointment, she served as a Judge of the High Court, to which she was appointed on 30 November 2008.
Justice Chawatama holds a Bachelor of Laws (Third Class Honours) degree from the University of London and was admitted to the Bar in 1991.
Before her appointment to the High Court, Justice Chawatama began her judicial career as a Magistrate Class III in November 1990 and rose through the ranks to serve as Resident Magistrate, Senior Resident Magistrate, and Principal Resident Magistrate. She also served as Deputy Registrar before being appointed Registrar of the High Court and Director of Court Operations in September 1999.
In September 2002, Justice Chawatama was appointed Deputy Chairperson (Judge) of the Industrial Relations Court, a position she held until her appointment to the High Court in 2007.
She later served as Judge-in-Charge of the High Court General Division at the Lusaka, Mongu and Chipata High Courts. From April 2023 until her appointment to the Supreme Court, she served in the High Court General Division in Lusaka.
Beyond her judicial service in Zambia, Justice Chawatama was seconded to Kenya from July 2009 to August 2013, where she served as a Commissioner on the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.
She has also contributed to a number of institutional committees and professional bodies. She served as a member of the Chief Justice’s Advisory Committee on Public Relations and Information, the Advisory Committee on Court-Annexed Mediation and Delay Reduction, and the Steering Committee on the Development of an Automated Case Management System for the Zambian Courts.
Justice Chawatama has served as Vice President of the Zambia Association of Women Judges, Board Member of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Canada, and Council Member of the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association for the East, Central and Southern African Region.
