The Judiciary has described retired Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal Judge the late Elton Singini as a humble and selfless individual who immensely contributed to the development of law in Malawi.

High Court of Malawi and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal acting registrar Kondwani Banda said this in an interview on Wednesday following the death of Singini on Tuesday at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe.

Died on Tuesday in Lilongwe: Singini

He said: “The Judiciary is deeply saddened with the demise of Lord Justice Elton Singini, SC [Senior Counsel]. The late Justice Singini was a fine gentleman and a distinguished jurist who contributed immensely to the development of the law of this nation both as a Judge and a Law Commissioner.”

Banda described Singini as one of a kind, who became a great mentor to many current luminaries.

“Justice Singini will be missed mostly because of his sense of humour and fatherly figure that he always demonstrated to everyone,” he said.

Reacting to the news of Singini’s death, National Planning Commission chairperson Richard Mkandawire said Malawi has lost a compatriot who was key to unraveling the recent epoch of the country’s political democratic processes.

“May his contributions remind us to have scores of his likes that we have to tap on as we run towards our MW2063 [Malawi 2063],” he mourned.

At the time of his death, Singini was serving as chairperson of the governing council of the University of Lilongwe.

Singini enrolled to study law at the then Institute of Public Administration in 1970 at Mpemba in Blantyre, which later became part of the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College.

He graduated with a bachelor of laws on July 26 1975 and on July 28 1975 he joined the Ministry of Justice as State Advocate.

He became Chief Legislative Draftsman in July 1984 and later Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice in 1993.

He was appointed High Court Judge on August 25 1995 and took the oath of office on December 9 1995. Singini became the first Law Commissioner of the Malawi Law Commission on January 18 1996.

He served in that capacity until June 2006. The retired justice of appeal also served as vice-president and president of the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies.

According to a family representative Evance Mwale, the burial is on Friday at Khondowe in Nkhata Bay.

Meanwhile, Mwale said vigil is being held at Area 47 Sector 5 in Lilongwe.

Born on May 6 1949, Singini is survived by four children.

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