By Counsel George Jivason Kadzipatike
The death of Professor of Law, Ngeyi Kanyongolo has hit hard. When I heard of her passing yesterday, I was greatly shocked, considering that I am a Legal Practitioner now because of her immense academic contribution.
When I was admitted to study Law at Chancellor College in the year 2005, the Dean of Law then was Prof Garton Kamchedzera. Ngeyi and her husband, Prof Edge Kanyongolo, had just left for the United Kingdom where, as we gathered, Ngeyi was pursuing her PhD in Law.
As a result, the course of Constitutional and Administrative Law which is taken in the first year of Law School, was not taken by Prof Edge Kanyongolo as had been the case in the previous years, but Prof Necton Mhura, deceased. We did not have the two Kanyongolos in the Faculty of Law until our third year. Professor Ngeyi Kanyongolo took us through Clinical Legal Education in our final year of studies and our class enjoyed her lectures. She was particularly close to me as she was my dissertation supervisor. It was through her hardworking spirit and dedication to academic work that I made it and finally graduated 15 years ago.
When I returned to the Law School to do my Master’s Degree in Law in 2019, I used to meet and chat with the ever-friendly Professor in the corridors. Although only Prof Edge Kanyongolo was one of our Lecturers at that level, Prof Ngeyi Kanyongolo used to encourage me to work hard and she actively participated in shaping my thesis. I will never forget the cross-examination she, as one of the discussants of my thesis, conducted on me when I was defending my thesis. She highlighted a number of issues in my thesis, which was being supervised by Prof Kamchedzera.
Since yesterday, the mood in our Law Offices in Mzuzu and Lilongwe is sombre. Almost every lawyer in our firm was taught by Prof. Ngeyi Kanyongolo. Our counsel Wanangwa Munkhondia who has graduated from the Law School this year, literally cried out in our office when she heard of the demise of the great academic.
Rest in peace, Prof until we meet again in God’s glory.
