TANZANIA: MPs call for use of Swahili in courts

Written by Daily NEWS Reporter

LEGISLATORS have called for the review of the current system where court rulings are made in English to ensure that all proceedings and rulings were made in Kiswahili.

The MPs insisted that delivering court rulings in English signals that wananchi are denied their rights to know their verdicts thus cannot appeal even where they are supposed to do so. Ms Sara Msafiri (Special Seats-CCM) and Moses Machali (Kasulu Urban-NCCR) both argued that it was absurd to use a foreign language in documenting court rulings while the country has her own internationally recognized language.

They both pressed the Constitution and Legal Affairs Ministry to bring before the Assembly a bill that will clearly recognize Kiswahili as an official language to be used in both court proceedings and ruling. Responding to the queries, the Deputy Minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs, Ms Angela Kairuki, said that the decision to document court rulings in English was reached because Kiswahili was running short of vocabularies.

She said most legal terms were not in the Kiswahili vocabulary thus it proved tricky putting down some of the court rulings.Ms Kairuki said that the Magistrates' Courts Act, Cap 11 clearly indicated that Kiswahili was only to be used in primary courts while in District and Resident Magistrates' Courts both languages were to be used.

"But even when Kiswahili is used in District and Resident Magistrate courts the documentation must be done in English," Ms Angela said.

She insisted that the ministry has yet to have plans to rectify the system, however, she remained positive that when the need comes the system will be changed, but not now.

Source: Daily News (01/11/2012): http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/parliament-news/11087-mps-call-for-use-of-swahili-in-courts