differences amicably.
Addressing members of the media in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, Justice Mutunga, a former law graduate of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), said the current political standoff in Zanzibar can only be solved through negotiations.
“If the Union between Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar disintegrates, it is therefore difficult to talk about a union between East African countries,” he said. “The Union between Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar is among the oldest unions in world history.
” Justice Mutunga said a new Constitution in the country would be able to tackle existing challenges between the two sister countries. He said he is pleased with President John Magufuli’s decision to continue with the process of writing a new Constitution in the country. Kenya’s current political situation, he said, has been attained through the rewriting of the Constitution and transforming the judicial system.
“In my presentation to the judges on Transformation of the Judiciary of Kenya, I spoke to them on what should be considered in having a new Constitution,” Dr Mutunga said.
Since the adoption of the 2010 Constitution, Kenya has reformed its Judiciary, including abandoning the old order whereby the President had powers to appoint judges.
“Tanzania is blessed with a rich culture and many natural resources; therefore the Constitution should address these resources for socio-economic transformation.
Chief Justice Othman Chande acknowledged the presence of Dr Mutunga and said that judges have learned a lot from him. Lessons learned include the role of the judiciary in interpreting the Constitution and borrowing judgments from neighboring countries.
“There are achievements in improving the welfare of judiciary workers,” he said. He said Tanzania has to adapt the system of appointing judges based on experience.