Mwinyi decries lawlessness

Dar es Salaam. Former President Ali Hassan Mwinyi yesterday said that the growing tendency of people taking the law in their hands in the country was a sign of immoral tendencies growing in the society.

He therefore called for efforts to bring the public closer to the judiciary and ensure that knowledge on how courts operate is given. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the beginning of the National Law Week at Mnazi Mmoja grounds.

Mr Mwinyi said, people had been complaining that the judiciary was corrupt because they do not understand how it operates. “When a person is arrested and brought to court after some time, he is seen in public. People think the court has set him free without considering what the law says,” he said.

Earlier, Principal Judge Shaban Lila, said the event marks the beginning of efforts to let the public know how courts operate.  “The aim of having the event in an open place is to break the silence that we’ve been having to the extent of being awarded for being silent,” he said.

He called upon the public to cooperate with the judiciary by visiting various exhibitions which are being showcased at the grounds.

In another development, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) has said the main cause for delays in handling cases was lack of enough workers in the judiciary.

The programme officer for LHRC, Ms Rosemary Manase, said most courts, especially primary and resident magistrate courts face a serious shortage of workers.

“You take for example Kinondoni District Court which has only two typists who are working on a daily basis; when one fails to show up the whole process is compromised,” she said.

She said even the system they are using to keep records is outdated saying they contribute to delays in the availability justice.