Zambians Hold Positive Views On Access to Justice, Though Few Are Aware of Legal-Aid Services

Majority express confidence that ordinary people can obtain justice in the courts.

Key findings

More than six in 10 Zambians (62%) say they feel "somewhat confident" or "very confident" that ordinary people can obtain justice in the courts. But 36% express little or no confidence.
At least six in 10 citizens say they could probably find legal advice (60%) and afford to take a legal problem to court (64%), if necessary.
Similar proportions think such a case would be resolved fairly (63%) and timeously (60%).
But fewer than one-third (31%) say they are aware of legal-aid services that are available in their community.
Only 6% of citizens say they would turn to a local court to resolve a legal problem. Most would prefer the police (38%) or a traditional leader or court (33%).
A majority (62%) of survey respondents say they trust the courts "somewhat" or "a lot."
But more than one-fourth (27%) of citizens say that "most" or "all" judges and magistrates are corrupt.
Narrow majorities of Zambians say that officials who commit crimes "often" or "always" go unpunished (53%) and that people are treated unequally under the law (51%).
One-third (34%) say that judges and magistrates "often" or "always" decide cases based on the influence of powerful people, rather than based on the law.
More than half (57%) of Zambians say the death penalty can never be justified, while 41% say it is a fair punishment for people who commit the most serious crimes, such as murder.

Access to justice is crucial for democracy and good governance, ensuring that citizens are able to assert their rights, obtain remedies for grievances, and hold the powerful accountable. Achieving this requires a legal framework that is accessible, affordable, and impartial, alongside institutions that are independent, accountable, and free from discrimination (United Nations, n.d., 2023; Logan, 2017; Advocates for International Development, 2021).

The Zambian government has committed to advancing access to justice and upholding the rule of law in accordance with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 16. This commitment is reflected in the country's Constitution and its national development plan, which envisions legal aid as a pillar of access to justice. The Legal Aid Board is responsible for promoting access to justice for poor and vulnerable Zambians, but civil society organisations also assist in this regard (Limondin & Dinda, n.d.; Ngulube, 2016). In 2021, 26,097 clients received legal-aid services (Ministry of Finance and National Planning, 2022).

Zambia's judicial reform efforts have focused on making the court system more accessible to the public. Measures include infrastructure improvements, increased staffing, the adoption of digital technology, the establishment of specialised courts, and the promotion of alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms, including traditional methods of dispute resolution grounded in customary law (Judiciary of Zambia, 2022; Ahmed & Andrews, 2025). However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Court, established in 2022 to allow for faster and more efficient handling of complex cases related to financial crimes and corruption, lacks its own infrastructure and staff (Chisenga & Chulu, 2022; Judiciary of Zambia, 2022). Mobile courts, meant to ease prison overcrowding by streamlining legal proceedings and reducing the backlog of court cases, were piloted in February 2025 (National Prosecution Authority, 2025). And as part of the government's zero-tolerance stance toward corruption in the judiciary, President Hakainde Hichilema launched a national anti-corruption policy in 2023 (Government of Zambia, 2023; Anti-Corruption Commission Zambia, 2024).

Despite these efforts, the poor and other marginalised groups still face persistent challenges in accessing quality and equitable justice in Zambia. Legal professionals and scholars attribute these challenges to a myriad of factors, including the high cost of legal services, an uneven distribution of legal professionals, lack of legal literacy, the limited presence of legal-aid services, inadequate judicial integrity, interference by the executive, and a lack of tools and equipment to carry out entrusted mandates (Banda-Mutana & Liche, 2023; Limondin & Dinda, n.d.; Kaaba, 2015; Ngulube, 2016). On the World Justice Project's (2024) Rule of Law Index, Zambia ranks 103rd out of 142 countries for rule of law, 94th for civil justice, and 82nd for criminal justice.

This dispatch reports findings from a special survey module on access to justice included in Afrobarometer's Round 10 surveys.

Findings show that more than half of Zambians think that they could probably afford to take a case to court if they had to and that ordinary people can obtain justice in the courts. But only one-third are aware of legal-aid services that are available in their community.

More than six in 10 citizens express trust in the courts, though more than one-fourth say "most" or "all" judges and magistrates are corrupt.

Slim majorities say that officials who commit crimes "often" or "always" go unpunished and that people are treated unequally under the law.

More than half of Zambians think there is no crime for which the death penalty can be justified, although two-fifths believe the death penalty is a fair punishment for those who commit the most serious crimes.

Edward Chibwili Edward Chibwili is the national investigator for Zambia.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

Zambians Hold Positive Views On Access to Justice, Though Few Are Aware of Legal-Aid Services

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