The Malawi Legal Aid Bureau has stressed on the need to civic educate Malawians on services offered by the Bureau.

Director of the Bureau Masawuko Chamkakala sounded the remarks in Lilongwe during a meeting with the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

According to Chamkakala, most Malawians hold the view that legal services provided by the Bureau are entirely free which not the case.

“What we have noticed over the years is that people always have though that legal aid services are completely free which is not exactly the position.

“So what we are saying is that maybe we need to do a little bit more of sensitisation so that people know that the services are not entirely free, they depend really on how much you earn as a person,” said Chamkakala.

Concurring with Chamkakala, PAC vice chairperson Nedson Poya called upon Malawians to contribute to the Bureau any little amount they have.

“As the controlling officer indicated following their legal aid act, people are allowed to volunteer or mention a figure they can manage to pay, but in actual sense, their services are free of charge.”

“But there is a scheme of contributory where people can contribute a little something depending on how one gets the resources, so the services are free but people can contribute,” he said.

Poya also complained about inadequate staff as one of the major challenges that the Bureau is struggling to cope up with.