Author: FAUSTINE KAPAMA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: CHIEF Justice Prof Ibrahim Juma has pleaded to the government to allocate budget when it creates new administrative areas (regions or districts) in order to finance judicial services and bring justice closer to the people.
He said on the second day of his Singida Region official visit that the Judiciary had been lagging behind in delivery of services due to lack of budgeting when new administrative areas are created.
According to a statement issued by the Judiciary’s Directorate of Information and Communications, Prof Juma made the appeal when speaking to Mkalama District Commissioner, officials of Iramba District Defence and Security Committee as well as judicial officers.
“When a decision is made to establish a new region or district, the government budget is adequately set up to build police stations, prisons and staff houses but forgetting the Judiciary, which also provides essential services to the people,” Prof Juma said.
He said the construction of court buildings was important as the absence of the Judiciary deprives citizens of the opportunity to demand justice as that right could be taken away by other powerful people.
Citing the example of widows, the Chief Justice said that the absence of a primary court in a particular area deprives widows of the right to go and claim their administration of the estates.
“The construction of court buildings is important because it brings justice closer to the people and empowers the weak and helpless,” he stressed.
The Judiciary, through its five-year Strategic Plan, intends to begin the construction of district court buildings in 33 districts in the country by the end of this year to move its services to the people and ensure justice is available to all and in time, Prof Juma said.
Regarding the cooperation among arms of the state, Prof Juma said that all of them are connected to the people as they perform functions for the welfare of citizens.
“The wishes of the people force all the arms to cooperate with the country’s Constitution delegating authority to each of the pillars,” he explained.
He called on the country’s investigators and prosecutors to be well-organized in the collection and processing of evidence to facilitate the whole process of access to justice.
“Often, where there are poor progress of a case the blame goes to the judges and magistrates.
The judges and magistrates are guided by evidence presented or given in court, so they have to pin down investigators so that the case can be completed fairly,” Prof Juma emphasised.
In addition, he advised detectives and prosecutors to create a culture of reading judgments of the Court of Appeal as well as those of the High Court as they provide training and show what can be done so that the offender is convicted and the innocent is released more easily.
