PROFILE
Hon. Lady Justice Sylvia Munyinya Okoh is a Judge of the High Court Commercial Division, appointed on 27th May 2026. Prior to her appointment, she served as Chief Resident Magistrate from March 2025 and as District Registrar in Mansa and Lusaka from 2020.
Justice Okoh holds a Master of Human Rights Law from the University of Lusaka, a Master of Laws Degree from the University of South Wales, and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the Zambian Open University. She also holds a Diploma in Export Horticulture from the National Resource Development College (NRDC)/ZEGA Training Trust.
Justice Okoh was admitted to the Bar on 5th December 2014. She joined the Judiciary in the same year as a Resident Magistrate at the Lusaka Subordinate Court, where she served until 2019. She later served as Senior Resident Magistrate from 2019 to 2021 and as Principal Resident Magistrate from 2021 to March 2025, at the Mansa Subordinate Court. She was thereafter transferred to the Lusaka Subordinate Court in the same capacity before being appointed Chief Resident Magistrate in March 2025.
Justice Okoh was attached to the Judiciary as a Learner Legal Practitioner from August 2013 to July 2014, where she gained practical experience in High Court civil and criminal procedure and conducted legal research.
Her professional experience also includes serving as an Assistant Lecturer at LIUTEBM University from August 2018 to 2019, where she lectured in various areas of law and supervised legal research projects.
Prior to her legal career, she worked in the agricultural sector, gaining experience in agricultural extension and agronomy through positions with the Uganda Cooperative Alliance under the Fredskorpset Exchange Programme from January to December 2009, the Lubulima Agriculture and Commercial Cooperative Union from June 2008 to December 2009, and the Mitengo Women Trust from April to August 2006.
Justice Okoh is a member of several professional bodies and has held leadership positions, such as Secretary of the Zambia Association of Women Judges, Chairperson of the Magistrates and Judges Association of Zambia (MAJAZ), Luapula Province, and Treasurer of (MAJAZ), Lusaka Province.