JK applauds Samia for justice reform efforts

FORMER President Jakaya Kikwete has applauded President Samia Suluhu Hassan for constituting a commission to investigate performance of criminal justice institutions in the country.

Furthermore, he stated that he had presented his opinion to the commission yesterday based on his presidency experience and the way he handled the systems.

He said that his recommendations are focused on looking at criminal justice institutions such as the Police Force, the Prison Force, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the Drug Control Enforcement Authority (DCEA), on how they prevent and hold accountable those who are proven to have committed crimes and taking them to court and prisons.

Dr Kikwete stated this to journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam after submitting his recommendations to the commission.

After arriving at the commission, which is housed in the offices of the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA), President Kikwete spent about two hours speaking with the Chairman of the Commission, retired Chief Justice Othman Chande, and members.

He stated that there is a need to examine the systems of those institutions, adding that what he said before the commission was one of many things that had already been mentioned by other stakeholders.

“I presented my views to the commission so that when the report and the recommendations are released, you will not come and say that the commission did not listen to my thoughts,” Kikwete said.

He added, “It is not wise for me to say what I said to the commission, but my opinion has looked at all these areas…the recommendations I made are based on my experience in the position of the President and the way I handled those systems,”.

Dr Kikwete emphasised that some laws must be changed, while others must be repealed entirely, in order to have better justice systems.

He said he believes that after the commission has collected various opinions and suggestions from stakeholders and when they are implemented, they will change the entire criminal justice delivery system, including  strengthening  it.

Kikwete, who served as Tanzania’s president from December 21, 2005, to November 5, 2015, stated the commission has several advantages since it examines the country’s scope, the current state of affairs, vulnerable areas, and potential areas of making corrections.

“After this work, I believe that the systems, performance and operation of these institutions will improve and strengthen the criminal justice system. I congratulate the President for the decision to create this commission to review the entire criminal justice system,” said retired President Kikwete.

In addition, he said President Samia Suluhu Hassan has chosen people with expertise in law and legal system who will give careful advice because they have experience in handling criminal justice.

According to Kikwete, the training provided by Tanzania Prisons Service should be monitored with the aim of ensuring that when prisoners are released they do not wish to return to correction facilities.

“We don’t have a good word about prisons, our British colleagues call it corrections service and in Zanzibar they call it a training college, so let’s look at the training we provide that will not make prisoners return to facilities … you find that a prisoner returns after six months from prison,” explained Kikwete.