Victoria Melkisedeck Lihiru is a Postdoctoral Researcher under the NRF SARChI Chair in International Constitutional Law at the University of Pretoria.

Victoria obtained her PhD in Public Law from the University of Cape Town in 2019. Victoria’s PhD thesis is titled “Participatory Constitutional Reforms versus Realization of Equal Representation of Men and Women in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.” In 2013, Victoria acquired her master’s degree (LLM) in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and East African Community Law from the University of Dar es Salaam under DAAD sponsorship through the Tanzania German Center for Postgraduate Legal Studies in Law (TGCL). She attained a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law School of Tanzania and was sworn in as an Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and its subordinates’ courts in 2013. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B Hons) from Mzumbe University in 2011. Victoria teaches law at the Open University of Tanzania, consults, and undertakes research with grassroots, national, regional, and international organizations on the nexus of legal, political-economy, and inclusion aspects of democratic governance, particularly human rights, constitutionalism, rule of law, and inclusive elections. Victoria has a great interest in the legal aspects of participation of women in political, electoral, and decision-making processes. She contributes to global, regional, and national discourses by publishing scholarly outputs in reputable high-impact journals and publishing houses and opinion pieces in respected media outlets. 

Publications

• Victoria Lihiru, Legal Protection for Women with Disabilities Against Sexual Harassment in Tanzania, in Furaha-Joy Sekai Saungweme, Carol Chi Ngang, Graham Towl (eds), Sexual Harassment and the Law in Africa, (2024 Routledge, London).
• Victoria Melkisedeck Lihiru, Promoting Women’s Political Participation in Tanzania: Assessing Voluntary Gender Quotas in CCM’s and CHADEMA’s Constitutions, Journal of Southern African Studies, 2024, DOI: 10.1080/03057070.2023.2327265.
• Victoria M. Lihiru, "Political Parties Act as a Stumbling Block to Women’s Political Leadership in Tanzania," The African Review (Brill), Vol 49, 2023, Advance Copy, pages 1–24.
• Robert Macdonald, Thomas Molony & Victoria Lihiru (2023) The Reception of Covid-19 Denialist Propaganda in Tanzania, Journal of Southern African Studies, 49:4, 697-716, DOI: 10.1080/03057070.2023.2298152.
• Victoria Lihiru, Exploring Suitable Electoral Systems for Promotion of Women’s Representation in Tanzania and Rwanda, African Studies Quarterly, Vol 21, 2022, (3), Pages 61-75
• Victoria Lihiru, "THE 2020 CHADEMA SPECIAL SEATS DISPUTE IN TANZANIA, Does the National Electoral Commission Comply with the Law?" Journal of African Election, Vol 20 (2),         2020, Pages 101-119.
• Alexander Makulilo and Victoria Lihiru, "Constitution-Making Process in Tanzania (2011-2014): A New Era for Women Political Participation?", 2020, Huria Journal, Vol 27(2), pages 1-29.