Constitutional Review

Hamad: We need alternative imprisonment 

Mbaraka Hamad (49) a businessman from Kisutu Ward in Dar es Salaam, today  he told the Commission of the Constitutional Review that the new Constitution should stop the tendency of the Tanzanian courts to imprison people with minor cases because it is expensive to keep them. He said the cost of keeping one prisoner is about Sh 350,000 per month.

Hamad suggested that the new Constitution should allow the sentenced people to serve their punishments by reporting to the local government officers. He said this is a better way to correct them and to reduce congestion in prisons.

“We need the new Constitution to come up with alternative sentences to people with such minor cases as stealing mangoes or chicken. There is no need to send them into prison. The government spends so much money to keep them. I suggest they should be given alternative imprison and they have to report every day to the local government officers until they finish their punishment,” said Hamad.