[7] Mambilima was born in the village of Chiwoko in modern-day Eastern Province to Kezias Chirwa, a bricklayer, and his wife Nelia Ngulube.

[11] The tribunal was set up in February 2009, and its published findings[12] found Siliya in breach of multiple statutes, but left the resolution in the president's hands.

In the case of the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Mutembo Nchito, on March 16, 2015, Justice Mambilima swore in four members of the tribunal appointed by President Edgar Lungu to investigate him for alleged misconduct.

This followed the resignation of her successor Justice Florence Mumba during the controversy which saw then Executive Director Daniel Kalale suspended and later dismissed on unspecified grounds.

[18] Various opposition party leaders and the leading private newspaper saw Justice Mambilima as government friendly, and this was illustrated in the run up to the 2011 general elections when she and the commission came under heavy criticism for the decision to print ballot papers in South Africa.

There were multiple allegations of corruption but no official investigations were launched or validated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and ECZ stood by its decision to use the firm.

This announcement triggered protests by Sata's supporters in Lusaka, which later spread to Kitwe, an industrial hub in the copper mining region.

Her successor Justice Florence Mumba defended the commission's work in difficult and unprecedented circumstances, and assured the nation that the elections would be conducted in a credible manner.

Upon the conclusion of Banda's term in office, a general election was held on September 20, 2011, and as early results came through opposition leader Michael Sata was in the lead.

Days later it was revealed that outgoing president Rupiah Banda resisted conceding defeat and Justice Mambilima threatened resignation in protest.

After the new government was ushered in, she called for them to help decentralise ECZ, allowing them to hire full-time employees at district level to improve efficiencies and be funded appropriately.

However, with a slew of parliamentary results later overturned through the courts on various grounds such as electoral malpractice it has been questioned whether ECZ and other bodies were correct in declaring the polls free and fair.

[31] With a charged atmosphere and violence seemingly imminent, Justice Mambilima took a firm stand and warned the two front-runners against trying to intimidate electoral staff.

Justice Mambilima, who was sometimes called Zambia's 'iron lady' [32] in reference to her firmness, also warned against claiming electoral victory before the official announcement and inciting premature celebration among supporters.

[33] The UPND wrote to Justice Mambilima claiming electoral malpractice by the PF and asking her not to declare a winner,[34] a request the Commission did not indulge.

When Edgar Lungu was declared winner, the UPND accused the Electoral Commission of conniving with the PF to manipulate the results, an allegation that Justice Mambilima dismissed.