Renowned lawyer Dickson Jere has commended the government for initiating amendments to the Intestate Succession Act.
Jere, who previously served as Special Assistant to Fourth Republican President Rupiah Banda, observed that the move was long overdue.
He emphasised that the current jurisdictional thresholds were outdated and impractical in today’s economy.
The distinguished lawyer highlighted that the Local Courts could only appoint administrators if the estate was valued at ZMW50, a figure he described as unrealistic.
He explained that such limits had not been revised since the rebasing of the Kwacha in 2012.
The former presidential aide pointed out that rural citizens were disproportionately affected by the existing law.
He noted that families often agreed on administrators without disputes, yet were forced into lengthy High Court processes.
Jere stressed that registrars should be empowered to act as probate officers to expedite issuance of Letters of Administration.
He argued that figures should be left to statutory instruments rather than being fixed in the statute itself.
Jere has been advocating for this change for the past years and is happy government has finally heeded his call.
“Well done government for taking the step towards helping the vulnerable,” he said.