Court Congestion in Tanzania: Judiciary heads promise to clear backlog of cases

FELISTER PETER

President Jakaya Kikwete has sworn-in three judiciary executives he appointed recently to serve in various capacities in the country’s new judiciary system.

The sworn in executives include Hussein Kattanga, who becomes Judiciary Chief Executive, Ignasi Kitusi to serve as the law interpreting body’s Chief Registrar and Penterine Kente to serve as Registrar of the Appellate Court.

Interviewed separately at State House grounds in Dar es Salaam, they vowed to work in cooperation to ensure efficiency of the country’s judiciary system.

Ignas Kitusi thanked President Kikwete for the appointment and trust, promising to use his experience to reduce the problem of cases backlog in various courts in the country. He said the Judiciary Department had started to evaluate and prepare a list of required tools to address the problem. According to him, the most required tools are human resource and funds.

Kitusi said to clear case backlog in courts, the Judiciary should work collaboratively with other sectors such as the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as well as police, prisons and immigration departments.

For his part, Kattanga promised to work closely with other judiciary officers, singling out court congestion as the main challenge facing the Judiciary Department in the country.

Before theirs appointments, Kattanga was permanent secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) and Ignasi Kitusi was Chief Registrar of the High Court.

Penterine Kente previously served as Chairman of the Tanzania Revenue Authority’s (TRA)’s Tax Revenue Appeals Board.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (13/08/2012): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=44713