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| Legal and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Prof. Palamagamba Kabudi. |
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Minister Prof Palamagamba Kabudi said in Dodoma on Wednesday that the move aims at among others to get rid of shoddy contracts that have been subjecting the nation to massive losses.
To make it work, the amendment bill will be tabled in the coming parliamentary session under the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Act 2018, proposing changes on the Discharge of Duties of the AG Office, said the minister.
He was speaking at the official launch of Dodoma offices of the AG, Solicitor General and National Public Prosecution, which the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, graced.
Prof Kabudi said AG structure changes through the Government Notice of 13th February 2018, which among others introduced the office of the Solicitor General and National Public Prosecution for increased efficiency in justice delivery, have necessitated the new move.
“Following the changes, the Solicitor General will be responsible for overseeing and administering all lawyers in the public sector, be in ministries, local government authorities and public institutions,” said Prof Kabudi He added: “The ministries and institutions should take the AG structure changes positively for they will have positive impact on improving accountability and professionalism.”
He said in most cases, the AG office was called in to intervene and take control of cases, which had originated from sloppy contracts by legal officers, saying from now, they will all be state attorneys.
“There is no legal officer in public servants, they are all state attorneys and the Solicitor General has power to redeploy them for improved efficiency from one entity to another,” said Prof Kabudi, adding: “For a long time, it was business as usual, they have to change as per the new structure, we will come up with internal and external placements for capacity and skills building through both short and long-term courses.”
He said the government is determined to rebrand the legal sector and build public trust by ensuring corruption and other unethical practices do not have room, recommending stern disciplinary measures against those misbehaving.
The minister said there has been coordination vacuum for lawyers in the public sector, with most of the decisions made without notifying the AG office, but once things go wrong, the AG was informed and required to intervene in issues he was not aware of.
The situation, he said, has contributed to the government being in legal wrangles and paying hugely when defeated in cases. Professor Kabudi remained optimistic that the changes will better address the system.
“The changes aim at giving power and mandate to the state attorneys as well as barring them from work and conduct without seeking the AG guidance and endorsement,” he said.
“All lawyers in public sector will be conducting their duties as per AG advice…we believe this will relieve the government from unnecessary legal conflicts,” he said.
Moreover, the minister said the government is in the process of forming an organisation of all lawyers in public sector to provide them with a forum to meet and deliberate on issues related to their scope of work.
Prof Kabudi said the lawyers’ database is being worked on and by the end of this month the meeting of all state attorneys will be organised to bring them together to appreciate the fact that they are serving one government.
Opening the offices, Mr Majaliwa directed the offices to be used to bring about the desired effects.
Daily News
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