Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Chief Justice, Prof Ibrahim Juma, on Monday launched Law Reports of Tanzania for the year 2007 to 2020, which include High Court (Tanzania and Zanzibar) and Court of Appeal decisions, which are crucial in providing justice to the people.
The event coincided with the launch of the Index of principal and subsidiary legislations from 1961-2020, both in the form of soft copy and hard copy, which aims to assist Judicial and Stakeholders to apply such legal information in oversee justice delivery.
In conjunction with the important event, Prof Juma also launched the e-Wakili Management System immediately after receiving a briefing from the Registrar of the High Court of Tanzania, Ms Shamillah Sarwatt.
It is a new system that has been set up specifically for the registration, record keeping and coordination of Advocates’ licenses as well as all the procedures that apply to them, considering that the previously used system has several challenges.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Justice noted that this is the third time the publications have been issued by the Judiciary of Tanzania, where the first edition was 1980-1996 and the second edition was 1997-2006.
He said that the decisions in most cases in the third edition will be considered as that of the Court of Appeal if it is a continuation of the issuance of additional copies of the decision of the High Court Tanzania and Zanzibar in each year to have a second edition (Volume II – Supplementary Volume).
“This is due to the Tanzanian Judiciary making great strides in obtaining decisions in soft copy through the e-Library and TanzLII, thus enabling the Editorial Board to have decisions in most cases per month, which is approximately 600 to 700 cases,” said Prof Juma.
However, he explained that the first publications before independence began in 1921 when the High Court of Tanganyika began on January 3, 1921 where decisions during that period were given between 1921 and 1952, which was called Tanganyika Territory Law Reports, this being the first publication.
According to the Chief Justice, from 1953 to 1957 there was a second publication and later a third edition from 1958 to 1966.
He stated that from 1967 to 1972, the High Court Digests were issued, while Law Reports of Tanzania for 1977 to 1979 were issued through the University of Dar es Salaam.
Prof Juma went on to explain that later in 1980, the Law Report Editorial Board was changed after being under the chairmanship of Judge of the High Court, Mr Barnabas Samatta, and from that period the Judiciary of Tanzania continued with the printing activities of all publications.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the government of Tanzania and the World Bank for continuing to provide funding to the Judiciary for enabling the publication of reports for all these 14 years as from 1961 to 2020, both in the form of soft copy and hard copy,” he said.
He said that the government and the World Bank have been major stakeholders in justice dispensation in all court levels and have been assisting the Tanzanian Judiciary in various matters pertaining to the implementation of justice.
For his part, the Principal Judge of the High Court of Tanzania, Mr Mustapher Siyani, said that Law Reports of Tanzania are an essential tool for every legal professional from which decisions of different cases or direction of the law in the country are found.
He said the reports available help citizens and lawyers who appear in court every day to seek justice to know various legal positions through decisions given by higher courts.
In addition, the principal judge said that for Judges and Magistrates, such law reports are a daily reference as most of the judicial officers make decisions without repeating another decision that has been made in the concerned area, if any.
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