Biography unveiled to celebrate the legacy of judge Robert Kisanga

Dar es Salaam. A biography detailing the life of the late Justice Robert Kisanga was launched on Tuesday, January 23 as part of efforts to advance the ideas, decisions and work of the man who once chaired a constitutional reform committee.

Titled Dream Coming to Fruition, A Biography of Justice Robert Habesh Kisanga, the memoir was officially launched yesterday at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre on the fifth anniversary of the late justice’s death to commemorate his life and his work, including the proposition of a three-tier government system for the United Republic of Tanzania. Published by the Institute of Judicial Administration Lushoto (IJA), the book details Kisanga’s life and work.

Justice Kisanga was appointed by President Benjamin Mkapa in July 1998 to chair a constitutional reform committee and was given the mandate to consider a wider range of issues than those probed by former Chief Justice Francis Nyalali, who chaired a similar committee in 1991.

Issues under Kisanga’s consideration included the structure of the Union, the powers of the executive, the voting system, independent candidature, and human rights. The constitutional reform committee sought the views of more than half a million Tanzanians from across the country. However, the ruling party was active in organising opinions they favoured, according to claims in a 2015 report dubbed Party Rules: Consolidating Power through Constitutional Reform in Tanzania, released by the African Research Institute.

The report further says that the ruling party’s efforts did not stop Justice Kisanga from penning an 800-page report that recommended the United Republic having three governments: one for union matters, the other for the mainland and another for the islands. President Mkapa publicly attacked Kisanga’s report, as he insisted that it would have to be approved by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) council and debated in the National Assembly.

The 13th Amendment to the 1977 Constitution implemented some of Kisanga’s recommendations. The number of special seats reserved for women and minorities was increased, but so too was the president's authority.

Stakeholders from the legal fraternity and academia who attended the book launch yesterday highlighted the importance of the biography of the man whom they described as ‘a phenomenal legal expert’ who left a mark in the legal industry.

“This book reminds us that it is important to refer back to the history of the legal field in Tanzania for one to understand the current laws. This is because the history of law is connected to the lives of leaders who played key roles in making such improvements. A good example is the way Justice Kisanga’s professional life is entangled with most institutions in the country,” said Chief Justice Ibrahim Hamis Juma, who graced the event.

"This book that has been launched today celebrates Justice Kisanga for the brilliant legal expert that he was. He is one of the people whose growth has touched different systems in the country. By the time he passed away, he had not written his autobiography. This book gives a glimpse at the life we knew he lived and the life we did not,” said the chairman of the retired judges of the High Court, Thomas Mihayo.

A retired Professor of Law, Issa Shivji, said the biography will unveil the history of Tanzania through Justice Kisanga’s experiences, as detailed in the book.

"I worked with Justice Kisanga on a couple of important cases. He was good at decision-making. In this book, people can learn interesting things about Tanzanian systems through Justice Kisanga’s involvement in different issues that touched those particular systems,” explained Prof Shivji.

A retired judge of the High Court named Fakihi Jundu, who once worked with Justice Kisanga at the dawn of his career, recalled the first time they met.

"He was a smart man, and I witnessed that,” he said.

Born at Fukeni in Moshi rural district on June 20, 1933, the late Justice Robert Kisanga was among the first five justices who launched the Appellate Court in 1979.