SPEAKERS: Mr Innocent Makasa & Dr Luchenga Adam Mucheleng’ana

Bio of Mr Makasa:

Mr. Innocent Makasa is a Chief Forensic Analyst for The National Forensic Science and Biometrics Department, in the Ministry of Home Affairs in Zambia.  He is a Ph.D. Candidate in Forensic Genetics at the University of Cape Town.  Mr. Makasa has been instrumental in the development of forensic science in Zambia.
Link to Bio of Mr. Innocent Makasa

Bio of Dr Mucheleng’ana:

Dr Luchenga Adam Mucheleng’anga is a lead forensic pathologist in Zambia with approximately 2800 Medicolegal Autopsies. He did his undergraduate (Bachelors of Human Biology and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) and postgraduate degree (Master of Medicine Anatomical Pathology) from the University of Zambia. He later pursued a clinical fellowship in forensic pathology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Mucheleng’anga is currently Zambia’s State Forensic Pathologist and has led the Forensic Pathology Policy Formulation. He has been instrumental in campaigning for a change of legislation in the medicolegal death investigation leading to the enactment of the National Forensic Act. He is also currently leading the setting up of the forensic Pathology Training Program in Zambia and sub-Saharan Africa.  On the academic front, he is an honorary lecturer of Anatomical Pathology, Forensic Pathology, and Medical Jurisprudence at the University of Zambia, Texilla American University, and Mulungushi University postgraduate, undergraduate levels and has published on Forensic Pathology and Infectious Pathology in peer-reviewed journals. He supervises post-mortem based research at postgraduate and undergraduate levels to this effect. He has been a speaker at various international fora on forensic pathology policy formulation, advocacy, and improvement in a low-resource setting. As a health advocate at the community level, he is a lead pathologist on COVID-19 cases in Zambia with several publications. Dr. Mucheleng’anga is a member of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), the Medicolegal Group of Practice, and the Pathologists Association of Zambia.

ABSTRACT:

Zambia is a Landlocked country with over 17 million inhabitants. The crime rate is steadily increasing to unmanageable levels as per the annual police reports. The majority of violent crimes go unresolved due to various reasons, prominent among them, is the continued reliance on traditional means of crime detection. The Government has enacted the National Forensic Act, which has established three forensic institutions. The three institutions include; the regulator of forensic services, the medicolegal death investigator, and the provider of forensic science and biometric services. These institutions are established to enhance the provision and development of forensic services in Zambia. Notably, the Act has given the regulator powers to enforce forensic standards and guidelines. It has also separated forensic services from law enforcement, to enhance independence and/or autonomy. The country is looking at amending; the Criminal Procedure Code to include forensic procedures and management of databases, and the Inquests Act to include the expanded role of the Forensic Pathologist in conducting death investigations.