Victorialihiru

PhD-Public Law, Senior Lecturer|Democratic Governance|Elections|Women’s Political Rights|Constitutionalism|Human Rights|Gender&Inclusion|Political Economy|CSOs

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

I'm humbled and excited for my promotion from a Lecturer to a Senior Lecturer of Law at the @Open_univ_tz

I look forward to diligently serving our students and stakeholders and advancing academic and research excellence.

[East Africa Law Society(EALS) @ealawsociety]

🛑 STOP SCROLLING. READ THIS. THEN REGISTER. 🛑

🎓 The Future of Legal Education in East Africa
“Innovation. Inclusion. Impact.”
📆 Thursday, 7 August 2025
🕒 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EAT | 💻 Zoom
🎙️ Hosted by East Africa Law Society × University of Bradford (UK)

You became a lawyer because you believe in justice.
But what if the way we teach law is standing in the way of that very justice?

📚 Outdated curricula.
💡 Little space for innovation.
🌍 A system that’s not keeping pace with the world we serve.

This webinar is where we flip the script.

👩🏾‍⚖️ Whether you're a legal educator, a practitioner, or a student—this conversation belongs to you. Because the future of law in East Africa won’t be shaped in courtrooms alone. It starts in classrooms, lecture halls, and policy rooms.

🔥 WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE:
✔️ Global insights on legal tech & next-gen lawyering
✔️ Strategies to close the access gap and empower underrepresented voices
✔️ Tools to make legal training relevant, responsive, and revolutionary
✔️ Real stories. Real solutions. Real momentum.

This isn’t a webinar.
It’s a mission briefing for legal changemakers.

And your name should be on the list.

🔗 REGISTER NOW → https://t.co/YE4qt1S02j
📤 Forward to every legal mind who believes law can do better—and must.

#EALSWebinar #RebuildLegalEducation #FutureOfLawEA #TeachToTransform #InclusiveJustice #AfricaLeadsLaw

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

July marked a milestone for the Faculty of Law at the Open University of Tanzania.

We celebrated the appointment of our colleague, Prof. Alex Makulilo, as the new Vice Chancellor, bid farewell to the outgoing Dean, Dr. Rindstone, and welcomed Dr. Hellen Kiunsi as the new Dean.

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍 Great engagement with justice sector stakeholders in Malawi 🇲🇼

✅ Excellent reflections on the evolving landscape for access to justice, rule of law, and human rights.

✅ Great insights on critical issues including legal aid delivery, institutional reform, rights-based policing, and the need for inclusive justice systems that serve marginalized communities.

✅ A recurring theme was the urgency of legal reforms and the shift from short-term interventions to sustainable, locally financed justice programming—especially in the context of a shrinking funding landscape.

Courtesy of Irish Rule of Law International

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍I had the honour of being one of the facilitators during the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Continental Results Framework (CRF) Training and Research Workshop, hosted by the Office of the Special Envoy on WPS at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

✅ 25 years after UNSCR 1325, we asked ourselves hard questions: How far have we come? And are our tools, data, and political frameworks ready for the next generation of peace and security challenges in Africa?

✅ In the Sahel, military takeovers, violent extremism, and civic repression continue to shrink the space for women’s participation—both formal and informal.

✅ Meanwhile, new threats emerge: online gender-based violence, climate-induced displacement, artificial intelligence, cyber surveillance, and digital authoritarianism—all impacting how women engage in peacebuilding, and how safe they are when they do.

✅ We also marked a powerful leadership transition—welcoming @Amb_Mulamula the new AU Special Envoy on WPS, and celebrating the legacy of Hon @AUBinetaDiop whose work laid the cornerstone for continental WPS progress.

#UNSCR1325at25 #WPSinAfrica #CRF #SahelCrisis #emergingthreats

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

As Tanzania gears up for 2025 general elections, I'm reflecting on a critical gap

✅ What do we really know about women, youth, and PWDs' participation in the 2024 local elections?

✅ Read my thoughts on this OpED @TheCitizenTz

https://t.co/IOTUTJm6nF

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍Honoured to serve as a Judge at the 10th University of Dar es Salaam Research and Innovation Week 2025

✅ For 10 years, since 2015, UDSM’s RIW has set the standard for transforming academic research into tangible solutions through multidisciplinary collaboration and commercialization.

✅ Through RIW, @UdsmOfficial is leading by example and inspiring other universities to:

1.Prioritize and allocate funding for research and innovation

2.Promote collaboration among senior, mid-career, and early-career academics

3.Strengthen linkages between academia and industry to scale innovations that address real-world challenges

✅ Together with other Judges, we witnessed bold, homegrown innovations, 345 research and innovation projects across disciplines.

✅I was especially inspired by dedicated academics competing for Outstanding Research of the Year, showcasing excellence in research and high-quality publications.

#RIW2025

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍Today, the Open University of Tanzania welcomes a new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Alex Makulilo.

✅Its a remarkable moment in the life of our as we warmly welcome our new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Alex Makulilo—a distinguished legal scholar and an inspiring leader.

✅ At the same time, we bid farewell to our outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Elifas Bisanda, who has been honoured as the first Professor Emeritus of our University in recognition of his admirable academic contributions and dedicated service.

[Daily Nation @NationAfrica]

Explainer: What it takes to transition from Dr to Prof https://t.co/bEcd4LVsRr

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍I am honoured to receive an Award for the Outstanding Legal Scholar on Gender Equality.

✅ The award was presented to me by Hon. Dr. Doto Biteko, Deputy Prime Minister of Tanzania, and conferred by the Tanzania Lawyers Association (TAWLA) @TawlaTZ during the commemoration of its 35th Anniversary.

✅ The award is bestowed to a legal scholar who has produced influential research, publications and educational materials related to gender equality, human dignity and access to justice.

✅ This recognition is not solely personal. It affirms the importance of legal scholarship that is grounded in justice, informed by evidence, and responsive to the lived experiences of women and other historically underrepresented groups.

✅It strengthens my resolve to continue using law not only as a lens for reflection, but as a tool for the meaningful transformation of gender relations within institutions and society.

✅ I share this honour with every woman, every girl, and every community, organisation, and network working tirelessly for visibility, voice, and equitable representation. I remain committed to building a future where law and practice create opportunities for all individuals—regardless of gender, background, or ability—to participate in and lead decision-making spaces at every level.

✅ Happy Birthday @TawlaTZ and thank you for the encouragement.

✅ The award is both humbling and inspiring.

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍I had a privilege of contributing as a Researcher to the African Union’s Pre-Election Mission in Malawi 🇲🇼, focused on Understanding the State of Women’s Political Participation ahead of the September 2025 Tripartite Elections with @AUBinetaDiop @FemWiseAfrica

Over five days, we engaged with:
✅ Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC)
✅ Security organs
✅ Political parties & ministries
✅ Civil society & feminist networks

📌 Women = 57% of registered voters, yet underrepresented on the ballot currently making 22% of the Parliament and 14% of the councils.
📌 Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) is a growing concern and met with impunity.
📌 Absence of legal quotas, weak party support & high campaign costs hinder inclusion.

#Malawi2025 #Malawidecides

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

A Powerful Cross-cultural Conversation on Womanhood hosted by Her Excellence Ambassador Charlotta @SwedeninTZ

✅ We explored the beauty, struggles, and transformations of motherhood, daughterhood, sisterhood—and womanhood in all its richness.

✅ My key takeaway is that our careers, motherhood, and passions are not mutually exclusive, but mutually reinforcing.

✅ The Invisible List, honouring the unseen emotional and physical labour of women, was a reminder of the everyday sacrifices we make for our families—often unnoticed, yet critical.

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍 Honoured to Contribute to the National Dialogue on Electoral Integrity in Tanzania as a panelist at the 2025 @TanganyikaLaw Annual Conference, under the theme:

“Elections and the Rule of Law: A Call for Legal Vigilance and Accountability in Tanzania's Electoral System.”

✅ My reflections focused on “Safeguarding Electoral Integrity and Transparency”—exploring how law, institutions, and collective responsibility shape the foundations of credible electoral processes.

✅ It was an honour to share the panel with Hon. Justice (Rtd) Robert Makaramba, Advocate Fatma Karume, and Dr. Hellen Kijo-Bisimba, in a conversation that highlighted the complementary roles of the judiciary, civil society, and legal profession in advancing electoral accountability in Tanzania.

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍Spoke today at the National Symposium on the 2025 Elections, hosted by the @TanganyikaLaw

✅I shared reflections on a topic close to my heart — advancing inclusive elections for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

✅ It was an honour to share the stage with Prof. Elisha Ongoya, whose work on electoral laws as well as the Kenya’s two-thirds gender rule case continues to inspire.

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍Organisations of Persons with Disabilities(OPDs) often advocate for inclusion — but are they walking the talk?
⁠
✅ My current research explores whether Tanzanian OPDs truly create space for women with disabilities to lead.
⁠
✅ Honoured to have engaged with @shivyawata, OPDs and disability right advocates on this important subject.

✅ Findings coming soon. Stay Tuned

#InclusiveLeadership #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityRights #WomenLead

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

Are you an academic who just got a PhD?

✅In 🇹🇿, the next step is to publish to senior lecturer

✅I am reflecting on the hustle to publish from lecturer to senior lecturer, navigating time traps, rejections, and staying sane

⁦⁦⁦⁦@Udadisi⁩ https://t.co/4tMsRXcOZf

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍A great honour to lead a conversation with Prof. Elifas T. Bisanda — Vice Chancellor of @Open_univ_tz , Chairperson of the UNESCO Commission (Tanzania) and Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education and Curriculum — during the inaugural Academic Quarterly Talk Series titled ‘My Secret in Academia’.

Myself, fellow academic staff, and invited guests benefited immensely from Prof. Bisanda’s reflections on:

✅ His journey into academia and rise to leadership in higher learning institutions

✅ His definition of hard work, its deep connection to rest, and how that balance propelled his publication trajectory to full professorship

✅ The realities of financing research and scholarly publications within universities

✅ What needs to be done to encourage professors to deliver their inaugural lectures

✅ His retirement plan and reflections on legacy

✅ Thoughts on artificial intelligence and how it can be harnessed to increase productivity among students and academics

✅ His highest and lowest moments in his 10-year tenure as Vice Chancellor at the Open University of Tanzania

#lifeinacademia

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

Oh, that is an interesting perspective, makes me wonder...

1. Whether you have evidence to back it up
2. What subjects do you consider to be suitable for a successful career in academia
3. What your journey to Senior Lecturer position has been and which areas you have published in and
4. How successful are you as an academician, and how that is tied to your research and publication interests..

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍 I’m excited that we at the @Open_univ_tz are developing our Disability Support Policy—and I’m honored to be part of the committee leading this important initiative.

✅ A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Magreth Matonya, Director of the Special Education Unit at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) @wizara_elimuTz and to all stakeholders who have contributed their invaluable insights and recommendations.

✅ Once finalised, this policy will shape our efforts towards strengthening our university’s commitment to inclusive education.

✅ It will enhance our support services for students with diverse disabilities, building on the excellent work already underway through our Assistive Technology Unit and the dedication of our focal point for students with disabilities.

✅Through this policy, we aim to ensure that our systems, infrastructure, and academic environment are accessible, equitable, and inclusive for all.

#inclusiveeducation #disabilitysupport #equityineducation #assistivetechnology

[Victorialihiru @Victorialihiru]

📍 Capacity Building on Scholarly Publications and Promotion Procedures

A long weekend spent with fellow academic staff from the Faculty of Law of @Open_univ_tz , diving deep into the intricacies of scholarly publications and academic promotion pathways.

I was honored to lead sensational conversations on:

1️⃣ Strategies for planning, executing, and completing doctoral studies
2️⃣ Planning and publishing your way from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer
3️⃣ Legal research methodology essentials
4️⃣ Ethically leveraging Artificial Intelligence for legal research
5️⃣ Personal branding for legal scholars

✅ We also had the privilege of learning from our DVC–Academic Affairs, Prof Alex Makililo who shared invaluable insights on progressing from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor, and eventually to Full Professor. His sessions on thesis development and crafting publishable journal articles were especially eye-opening.

✅ Personal stories from colleagues inspired our new staff on how to plan strategically for a thriving academic career.

✅ This retreat wasn’t just about writing — it was a time for reflection, collaboration, laughter, and reaffirming our collective mission to grow as scholars and mentors.

#lifeinacademia