Date of initial election to the judicial roster: 20 December 2011
Current term: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2026
Judge Prisca Matimba Nyambe has been a Judge of the Mechanism since it commenced operations in July 2012. In this capacity, she has adjudicated a variety of matters as a Single Judge, and as a member of the Appeals Chamber, including as Presiding Judge in the Mladić case. Prior to her tenure as a Mechanism Judge, Judge Nyambe served as an ad litem Judge of the ICTY, where she sat on the Tolimir trial, among others.
In addition, Judge Nyambe served as a Judge of the High Court of Zambia from 2006 to 2016, and has been a commissioner on the Judicial Complaints Commission since 2022. Previously, she served in a variety of roles at the ICTR (1996-2006), including as Chief of the General Legal Services Section, and Senior Legal Officer in the Court Management Section. Earlier in her career, Judge Nyambe was a Senior Magistrate in Zimbabwe (1980-1984) and a Resident Magistrate (1978-1980) in Zambia. She also worked as a legal counsel to the Central Bank of Zambia (1984-1992) and practiced as a lawyer (1992-1996).
Over the years, Judge Nyambe has been appointed to participate in numerous initiatives in the field of justice and human rights, including as chairperson of a study group on the establishment of divisions of the High Court of Zambia, a member of a Parliamentary fact-finding committee in Zambia to investigate and report on any discriminatory laws against women in government and state-owned enterprises, and a board member of the Financial Intelligence Centre (2019-2021). She has also lectured on issues such as the rights of women and children, gender-based war crimes, and the integration of international legal standards in national structures.
Judge Nyambe holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Zambia (1975) and has been admitted as an advocate of the High Courts and Supreme Courts of Zimbabwe (1982) and of Zambia (1978). She has been awarded the title of Senior Counsel (SC). She is a member of the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association, and the International Association of Women Judges. She was also elected as Council member, and later Vice-Chair, of the Law Association of Zambia. Judge Nyambe is fluent in English, Tonga, Soli, Nyanja, Bemba, and has a working knowledge of French, Lozi, and Swahili.