KAIJAGE: TANZANIA YA VIWANDA HAITAWEZEKANA KAMA MASHAURI YANACHUKUA MREFU KUMALIZIKA

Mwenyekiti wa Chama cha Wanasheria Tanganyika (TLS) Rwezaula Kaijage akisoma hotuba iliyoandaliwa na Mawakili wa kujitegemea Kanda ya Mahakama Kuu ya Iringa katika maadhimisho ya Siku ya Sheria nchini yaliofanyika kwenye viwanja vya makahama kuu ya Iringa juzi. (Picha na Friday Simbaya)

Na Friday Simbaya, Iringa

Jaji Mfawidhi, Mahakama Kuu ya Tanzania Kanda ya Iringa, Mheshimiwa Jaji Shanghali amesema Kanda ya Mahakama Kuu Iringa ambayo inajumuisha mkoa wa Njombe kwa sasa wana mashauri 1,777. 

Alisema kuwa Kati ya mashauri hayo, wanayo mashauri 211 tu yenye umri zaidi ya miaka miwili (2) ambayo kati yake ni mashauri 123 ya Jinai (Mauaji) na mashauri 87 ya Madai. 

Jaji Shanghali alisema hayo jana wakati wa sherehe za sheria nchini zilizofanyika katika viwanja vya Mahakama Kuu ya Tanzania Kanda ya Iringa.

Alisema kuwa katika mashauri mengine yote 1,566 yana umri chini ya miaka miwili (2).

“Takwimu zinaonyesha kuwa ni asilimia nane (8%) tu ya mashauri ya muda mrefu yaliyobaki kwa nchi nzima, ” alisema Jaji Shanghali. 

Aliongeza kuwa wajibu wa Mahakama ni kutekeleza jukumu lake la utoaji haki kwa wakati na Mashauri yasikilizwe na kupatiwa ufumbuzi kwa wakati bila kuchelewa. 

Naye Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Iringa, Amina Masenza alisema kuwa haki ikitolewa kwa wakati wananchi watafanya shughuli zao za maendeleo wakiwa huru na kwa ufanisi. 

“Haki ikinyimwa maendeleo hayawezi kupatikana kwa kuwa wananchi hawatakuwa huru kufanya shughuli zao kikamilifu na hivyo kudidimiza kasi ya maendeleo,” alisema Masenza. 

Alisema kuwa Ibara ya 11, ya Katiba ya Jumhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania inampa haki kila mwananchi kufanya kazi kwa bidii na kwamba kila mtu ataishi kwa jasho lake. 

Masenza alisema kuwa Mahakama ni mamlaka ya utoaji haki kikatiba na ili kuharakisha ukuaji wa uchumi na kuomba ijitahidi kwa kadri iwezavyo kuharakisha kutoa haki ili kuchochea kasi ya maendeleo kwa wananchi. 

“Tumeshuhudia mlundikano wa mashauri katika Mahakama, Upelelezi kuchukua muda mrefu, mlundikano wa watuhumiwa katika mahabusu, mashauri kuchukua muda mrefu bila sababu za msingi, masharti magumu ya dhamana,” alisema Masenza. 

Mkuu wa Mkoa huyo aliviomba vyombo vyote vinavyohusika katika utoaji wa haki (polisi, Waheshimiwa Majaji, Mawakili wa Serikali na wa kujitegemea, Viongozi wa Serikali, Watumishi wote wa Mahakama washirikiane kwa pamoja katika kutoa haki ili kuchochea maendeleo).

Kwa upande wake, Mwenyekiti wa Mawakili wa kujitegemea Kanda ya Mahakama Kuu Iringa Rwezaula Kaijage akisoma hotuba yake alisema kuwa wananchi wakiwemo Watuhumiwa na Mashahidi wasipoteze muda mwingi Mahakamani wakati shughuli zao za kilimo, biashara na uchumi zimesimama. 

Alisema kuwa Mahakama ya Tanzania kwa kushirikiana na wadau wake wachukua hatua kadhaa kuhakikisha kuwa mashauri hayakai Mahakamani kwa muda mrefu. 

Kaijage alisema kuwa hali hiyo, wananchi wanapokuwa Mahakamani, wanategemea na wanatamani mashauri yao yasikilizwe na kutolewa uamuzi mapema ili mashauri yakiishamalizika, waendelee na shughuli za kujenga uchumi.

Alisema kuwa Tanzania ya viwanda haitawezekana kama mashauri yatachukua miezi na hata miaka bila kumalizika yakiwafanya wahusika na mashaidi wao kufika mahakamani kila mara ili hali wakiacha shughuli zao za uchumi. 

“Katika Mkoa wetu wa Iringa, tunao mfano mzuri wa Wilaya ya Kilolo ambayo ina Mahakama ya Wilaya, lakini haina gereza na ofisi ya mkuu wa polisi wa wilaya hiyo iko kilomita karibu sabini toka makao makuu ya wilaya,” alisema. 

Alisema kuwa hali hii imeifanya wilaya hiyo ipange kusikiliza mashauri ya jinai kwa siku mbili katika juma na hii ni kutokana na uwezo mdogo wa mkuu wa polisi wa wilaya kusafirisha mahabusu kutoka gereza la Iringa mjini hadi Kilolo. 

Kila siku ya mashauri hayo, mwendesha mashtaka analazimika kusafiri kutoka Mbigili, kuja Iringa mjini, kuwachukua mahabusu na kuwapeleka Kilolo. 

“Baada ya mashauri safari hiyo inajirudia. Tumeshuhudia mara nyingine mkuu wa polisi akishindwa kupata usafiri wa kuwafikisha mahabusu mahakamani wakati mashahidi wamekwishaandaliwa,” alisema Kaijage.

Hata hivyo, alisema kuwa Mabishano ya kisheria miongoni mwa mawakili wanaowatetea wadaawa au watuhumiwa; ama miongoni mwa mawakili wa kujitegemea na waendesha mashitaka ndio sababu mojawapo inayochelewesha haki kutolewa kwa wakati. 

Wakati mwingine suala hili linachelewesha haki kutolewa mapema kwa sababu ya wahusika kutokuwa makini na wakati mwingine kuwa wabishi hata wanapokuwa wameishaoneshwa ukweli. 

Wakati kama huo, Mahakama hulazimika kuingia katika kusikiliza kesi ndogo ndani ya kesi ya msingi jambo ambalo huchelewesha maamuzi

Pia alisema kuwa ucheleweshwaji wa kuanza kutumika sheria ya kuwaruhusu mawakili kuwatetea wateja wao kwenye Mahakama za Mwanzo ni sababu nyingine inayofanya mashauri kurundikana mahakamani pamoja na mahabusu. 

Hivi sasa mahakama za mwanzo zina mahakimu waliohitimu shahada ya sheria na kuajiriwa katika kada ya Mahakimu Wakazi na baadhi yao wana shahada za uzamili na hivyo bila ya shaka wana uwezo mkubwa. 

Alisema kuwa Kuendelea kuwazuia mawakili kufanya kazi katika mahakama za mwanzo kunasababisha mashauri ambayo yangemalizika katika hatua hiyo, kuendelea kwenye mahakama za juu kwa njia ya rufani au marejeo na hivyo kuwafanya wahusika waendelee kujenga vibanda mahakamani. 

“Tunaomba Bunge liingilie kati mapema ili kunusuru hali hii…,” alisema Kaijage.

Mwisho

TLS: INDUSTRIALIZATION DRIVE WILL NOT BE ATTAINED IF THE COURT PROCEEDINGS WILL TAKE LONG TIME TO FINISH

Jaji Mfawidhi, Mahakama Kuu ya Tanzania Kanda ya Iringa, Jaji Mary Shanghali akiteta neno na Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Njombe, Christopher Ole Sendeka na Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Iringa, Richard Kasesela katika maadhimisho ya Siku ya Sheria nchini yaliofanyika kwenye viwanja vya Makahama Kuu ya Iringa juzi. (Picha na Friday Simbaya)

Mwenyekiti wa Chama cha Wanasheria Tanganyika (TLS) Rwezaula Kaijage akisoma hotuba iliyoandaliwa na Mawakili wa kujitegemea Kanda ya Mahakama Kuu ya Iringa katika maadhimisho ya Siku ya Sheria nchini yaliofanyika kwenye viwanja vya makahama kuu ya Iringa juzi. (Picha na Friday Simbaya)

IRINGA: THE Chairman of Tanzania Law Society (TLS) Iringa Chapter, Rwezaula Kaijage says Tanzania will not accelerate in industrialization efforts when court proceedings take months and even years to finish. 

Kaijage made the appeal on Thursday during a law day ceremony held at Iringa zone High Court grounds in Iringa Region. 

He said that Tanzania's industrialization drive will not be possible if proceedings will take months and even years without finishing, which their perpetrators and witnesses come to court every time and stop their economy activities. 

He said defendants and witnesses waste much time in court when their farming activities, trade and economic is standing.

He said that to Tanzania judiciary in collaboration with its partners should take several steps to ensure that the court proceedings should not take a long time to finish, hence economic growth.

"In our region of Iringa, we have a good example of Kilolo District, it has a District Court but it does not have the prison and OCD’s head office of the district police is almost seventy kilometers from the district headquarters," he said.

He said that this situation has made the district to organize for listening criminal proceedings for two days in a week and this is due to the limited capacity of the district police chief of transporting inmates from prison to Kilolo in Iringa.

“We have seen once the chief of police was unable to find transportation to bring detainees to court when witnesses have been prepared, "said Kaijage.

However, he said that the legal argument among the parties or lawyers who defended suspects; either among independent lawyers and prosecutors is one of the reasons given for a slow dispensing of legal rights 

He also said that a delay in the entry into force of the law to allow lawyers to defend their clients in primary courts is another reason why the heavy backlog in court cases.

Currently the primary court magistrates who have graduated with a degree in law and a cadre of judges employed some of them have master's degrees and it will certainly have great potential.

He said that lawyers continue to prevent them from working in the lower courts which causes court cases to piled up thus make the characters continue to build huts at court.

Judge in Charge, High Court of Tanzania's Iringa Region, Judge Mary Shanghali said Iringa High Court which comprises Njombe region are now 1,777 cases.

She said that Out of these cases, they have only 211 cases a year more than two (2) which is between 123 Criminal proceedings (murder) and 87 cases of assertions.

Judge Shanghali said this yesterday during a ceremony on law day held at High Court of Tanzania's Iringa zone grounds. She said that in all other cases 1,566 are under the age of two years (2).

"Statistics show that eight percent (8%) of long outstanding cases for the whole country," said Judge Shanghali.

She added that the court is obliged to carry out its role of justice at the time and counsel heard and resolved in time without delay.

The Tanzania judiciary has been organizing “Law Day” every year where they bring together judicial stakeholders to provide legal education and legal aid services to the community and to observe the start of the court calendar.

On her part, Iringa Regional Commissioner (RC), Amina Masenza said that the rights given to citizens when they make their development activities are free and efficiently.

"If right is delayed, development cannot be achieved because the country will not be free to carry out their activities fully and thus diminish the pace of development," said Masenza.

She said that Article 11 of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania gives every citizen the right to work hard and that everyone will live with his sweat.

RC said that the Court is the constitutional authority of the administration of justice and to foster economic growth and strive to apply its best to speed up as much as the right to promote the rapid development in the country.

"We have seen the backlog of cases in court, Detective take long, the backlog of suspects in custody, proceedings take a long time without reasonable grounds, stringent bail," said Masenza.

Regional Commissioner asked for all entities involved in the administration of justice (police, Judges, lawyers and, Government Officials, All staff cooperate with the Court in order to stimulate the development rights).