JUDICIARY SHORT OF 1,600 MAGISTRATES

16th May 2013 

Angela Kairuki, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Deputy minister The judiciary has a shortage of 1,600 primary and district court magistrates, the National Assembly was told yesterday. 

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Deputy minister Angela Kairuki said the government was aware of the problem and that is why from last year it came up with a programme to hire 300 magistrates yearly. “This trend will continue this year as well, whereas we have also planned to hire 300 magistrates and assign them to work stations across the country,” she said. 

She disclosed this when responding to a supplementary question raised by Rita Kabati (Special Seats, CCM) who wanted to know what the government will do to address the shortage of magistrates in Iringa. Responding to Victor Kilasile Mwambalaswa (Lupa) who wanted to know when the government would build primary courts in Chunya District to alleviate the shortage, Kairuki said she was aware of the problem. “In order for people to be able to access their rights accordingly, there is a need to have a primary court in every ward, not for Chunya district alone but across the country. However, the government is not in a position to build all the needed courts at once,” she said. 

She said currently there is a shortage of 751 primary courts, 62 district courts and 13 resident magistrates’ courts across the country, “The judiciary has conceived a master plan to engineer the construction of these courts,” she said. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN