State House speaks out on Karume statements over Law Day attendance

Dar es Salaam. Presidential Communications Director Gerson Msigwa yesterday declined to either confirm or deny reports that officials at State House were planning to stop the president of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), Ms Fatma Karume, from attending this year’s Law Day celebrations.

The reports started circulating yesterday morning on the social media platform showing a series of tweets by Ms Karume associating State House with the plan while accusing those who were allegedly conniving it of “mediocrity.”

But, according to Mr Msigwa, Ms Karume’s accusations were not only baseless but also deserved nobody's attention. 

“You want me to confirm or deny information that is [hanging] on the air. I’ll not do that. I think you need to ask her [Karume] to prove her claims.”

Speaking to The Citizen earlier yesterday, Ms Karume explained that officials who introduced themselves as coming from State House called TLS secretary Kaleb Gamaya asking him to inform Ms Karume that she was not welcome at this year’s Law Day.

According to Ms Karume, Mr Gamaya asked the officials why they didn’t reach Ms Karume directly and get through the message by themselves but they rejected insisting that he was supposed to do what he was being told.

Ms Karume continued to explain that the officials phoned Mr Gamaya again a few days later, this time inviting him to attend a ceremony at State House for swearing-in new judges recently appointed by President John Magufuli. 

Ms Karume claimed that Mr Gamaya informed her of the invitation and inquired how come that he should attend a function that would require the attendance of the president of TLS. But Ms Karume told him to attend the function.

On the day of the ceremony, Ms Karume explained, Mr Gamaya was approached by the State House officials and asked him if he had received any phone call recently in relation to Law Day and that he was supposed to pass the message to Ms Karume that she should not be allowed to attend the ceremony.

Mr Gamaya told them that he did but told them that Ms Karume would still attend the function anyway as TLS had already received a formal invitation from the Judiciary, which, in essence is the chief organiser of the celebration.

But the officials kept on insisting that he should pass the message even telling him that should Ms Karume have a speech that she would like it to deliver at the celebration, she could prepare and hand it to someone else who would read it on her behalf. Should Mr Gamaya need any further clarification, the officials insisted, he could contact Court Registrar Katalina Revocati.

When The Citizen reached out to her yesterday, Ms Revocati confirmed to have sent an official invitation to the president of TLS saying that’s what has always been done whenever the celebrations of Law Day approachd. But she denied reports that she has received orders from the State House.

When contacted to confirm the authenticity of Ms Karume’s explanation, Mr Gamaya declined to comment anything on the matter saying that what Ms Karume has said was enough.

Asked if she would still attend the celebration despite the orders she claim to have received from the State House wanting her to abstain, Ms Karume said: “I’ll go because I’ve been formally invited by the Judiciary who are the owners of the ceremony. And if they [the State House] are really determined to stop me from attending they've to write officially stating so outlining the reasons why that should be the case.”