Judicial officers undergo training to enhance performance

DAR ES SALAAM: THE East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has conducted a training to judicial officers in the country to build capacity on good governance and rule of law in a bid to enhance performance in the execution of their duties.

The training aims at ensuring that the legal fraternity in the country understand the relationship between EACJ and Tanzanian courts.

Speaking after opening the training on Friday in Dar es Salaam, EACJ President Nestor Kayobera said they intend to share knowledge on good governance to all East African judicial member states so that they can implement their works accordingly.

President Kayobera also revealed that since the EACJ started, they have received over 700 cases, which makes it to be the first regional court to register such cases in the world.

“East African citizens are aware that if they do not get their rights, they can find it in the EACJ, but they should understand what kind of cases should be brought to the regional court,” he said.

Kayobera said he is grateful to the government of Tanzania for ensuring that EACJ is in a safe and secure place.

For his side, High Court Judge from Tanzania, Isaya Arufani who represented the Chief Justice said the training will help them to be vigilant when making decisions on various cases.

“This training will help us to be proactive in our work, especially in deciding cases that relate to legal administration and good governance,” he said.

However, he said public awareness on justice related issues in Tanzania is still low, that is why majority of the citizens do not understand what kind of cases   should be taken to which court level.

“There is no mindfulness to majority of Tanzanians about judicial issues, people don’t understand different court levels, because each level has its own kind of cases,” he said.

Therefore, justice Arufani urged people to make sure they have more understanding concerning court issues before making any decisions.

One of the judges who attended the training, Mary Kallomo from High Court Main Registry said the training has helped them understand EACJ laws and how to make right decisions that will bring productivity to the courts of Tanzania.

The EACJ is composed of judges appointed by the summit from each of the East Africa Community partner states.

EACJ judges are appointed by the summit from among sitting judges of any national court of judicature or from jurists of recognised competence.