Chief Justice: Performance will be measured by court attendance and case backlog reduction

Lushoto. The Chief Justice of Tanzania, Prof Ibrahim Juma, has told judges that their performance will be measured by how they attend court cases and reduce the case backlog.

Prof Juma made the remarks while opening the induction for four new justices of the Court of Appeal and 20 new judges of the High Court of Tanzania in Lushoto District, Tanga Region.

The training, which started on Monday, is taking place at the Institute of Judicial Administration (IJA).

Organised by the Judiciary of Tanzania, the induction of the Court of Appeal justices will take one week and three weeks for the High Court judges.

"Your capability to render service will be evaluated every day to see how you attend to case files. Every action you take and every word you utter will be assessed. The citizens and other law stakeholders who will come to seek justice will also assess you and have feedback on your performance," said Prof Juma.

He also urged the judges to lead normal lives and avoid misusing their positions for personal gain.

He also reminded them to get ready to provide services digitally as the judiciary embraces Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Various topics will be presented by facilitators from the Judiciary, public institutions, and private organisations.

Principal Judge, Mr Mustapher Siyani, said both the judiciary and the citizens have high expectations of the new judges.

"We have high expectations that after receiving this training, you will hit the ground running and keep pace with the judicial reforms, bearing in mind that all of us and Tanzanians in general eagerly await your performance," he said.

IJA Principal, who is also a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Mr Paul Kihwelo, said the induction has been organised to help the new judges handle new judicial roles, and the topics have been prepared to meet the participants' needs.

"The topics have been prepared to fulfil the goals of the Judiciary and the nation as a whole," he said.

The new judges were appointed and sworn in by President Samia Suluhu Hassan last month. That increased the number of Court of Appeal justices to 30 and that of the High Court judges to 105.