Professor Chris Maina PeterTANGANYIKA LAW SOCIETY
CITATION OF PROFESSOR CHRIS MAINA PETER
FOR THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Professor Peter is one of our most illustrious law professors at the University of Dar es Salaam (an alma mater for most of us). The majority of us who are in private practice today passed through the Faculty of Law of the University of Dar es Salaam. And a significant number were taught by him.
Professor Peter has been a member of the Tanganyika Law Society for 26 years (1984 to date) He has practised law, mainly in pro bono cases. For over quarter of a century Professor Peter was a very active member of the University of Dar es Salaam Legal Aid Committee and later for almost a decade its chairman. During his tenure, hundreds of indigent clients were given legal advice on a weekly basis and many among them were given ‘first aid’ such as writing initial letters of claims or meeting opposite parties, including government functionaries, to resolve disputes. Besides, the committee ran regular radio programmes and published simple, accessible pamphlets to raise legal and rights-awareness.
Prof Peter is a renowned member of the Civil Society Movement in Tanzania. He has been involved in the founding of some Non Governmental Organizations in Tanzania and East Africa as well as being a very active member of NGO Boards. Peter was also active and instrumental in promoting legal aid networking in the country through the Legal Aid and Human Rights Network. Even after stepping down from the chairmanship of the committee, Professor Peter did not lie on his laurels. He went ahead, and together with the late Professor Haroub Othman, has been involved in the multifarious activities of the Zanzibar Legal Services Centre which he currently chairs and is also a trustee. Others include: The Kituo cha Katiba - (KCK ); The Foundation for Civil Society which he also chaired, Tanzania Journalist Association(TAJA). He also has been the chairperson of the Community Advisory Board of HIV/Research project on search for HIV vaccine.
Chris Maina Peter is a prolific writer and a very committed human rights activist. His collection of human rights cases in Tanzania together with long commentaries in a book running into over 300 pages is a standard reference for any one working in human rights.
He has published or has been a co - author of more than eighteen (18) books, twelve (12) chapters of books, and sixteen (16) articles in International Journals. Some of the celebrated works he has published include Human Rights in Tanzania: selected Cases and Materials (1997); Justice and Rule of Law in Tanzania: Selected Judgments and Writings of Justice James L. Mwalusanya (2005); Searching for Sense and Humanity, Civil Society and the Struggle for a Better Rwanda (2006) and The Law and Justice in Tanzania: quarter a Century of the Court of appeal (2007).
He has been and still is either an editor or a member of the editorial boards/advisor to a number of renowned international journals. The list include Journal of African and Intentional Law (editor in chief); Malawi Law Journal (member of Advisory Board); International Journal on Minority and Group Rights (member of Editorial Board); African Yearbook of International Law (member of Advisory Board); Yearbook on International Humanitarian Law (member of Board of Editors); East African Journal of Peace & Human Rights (member of Advisory Board), The Tanzania Human Rights Report (Member of the Editorial Board) etc. The list is long.
His most recent work is a publication he compiled and edited with Saida Yahya-Othman celebrating the life of the late Prof. Haroub Othman who passed away in June 2009, entitled HAROUB OTHMAN: Farewell to the Chairman (2009). There are many other works that have been written by Prof. Peter. It is not an exaggeration to say that his contribution in terms of publications and other writings is not easily comparable in Tanzania and has played a very positive role in the history of human rights education in Tanzania and elsewhere.
Another area that Prof. Peter has been actively involved in has been activism just to point out a few: Together with other human rights organisations, Professor Peter was active in the passage of the Human Rights and Good Governance Act, he has been involved in various activities for lobbying and advocating for Law reform to accommodate human rights standards both at the national as well as continental level has been Peter’s life-long passion. No wonder that he now sits on the United Nations Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva, a committee of 18 experts worldwide elected by the UN General Assembly for a four years term. He began to serve in 2008.
PETER, now a full Professor of Law, has, [been teaching law at the University of Dar-es-Salaam for the past 30 years. The main courses he has been teaching include, but not limited to, Public International law, Human Rights, Refugee Law, International Humanitarian Law, Law of the Sea, Investment Law and the Law of Torts. He has supervised many candidates for Masters (LLM) degree and a considerable number of PhD students. Apart from this Prof. Peter has also been a visiting lecturer and researcher in a number of universities including University of Bayreuth, Germany; University of Hamburg, Germany; University of Warwick, England; University of Graz, Austria; Raul Wallenberg Institute; Sweden etc. He also is and has been an external Examiner to various universities such as Nairobi (Kenya), Makerere (Uganda), Pretoria (South Africa), Fort Hare, Witts and University of South Africa all in South Africa.
Apart from teaching, Prof. Peter has also been involved in consultancy activities. He has been called upon to undertake many consultancies at national and international levels with the AU, UNDP, DFID, the EU, SIDA, UNITAR, the TCU, the Ministry of Justice, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, and Ministry of Home Affairs etc.
Professor Peter is one of the most respected members of our Society. He is always calm, composed but nonetheless passionate about the causes he believes in. The Tanganyika Law Society had no hesitation in nominating CHRIS MAINA PETER to the Life Time Achievement awardee this year.
With pleasure we present to you
CITATION OF PROFESSOR CHRIS MAINA PETER
FOR THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Professor Peter is one of our most illustrious law professors at the University of Dar es Salaam (an alma mater for most of us). The majority of us who are in private practice today passed through the Faculty of Law of the University of Dar es Salaam. And a significant number were taught by him.
Professor Peter has been a member of the Tanganyika Law Society for 26 years (1984 to date) He has practised law, mainly in pro bono cases. For over quarter of a century Professor Peter was a very active member of the University of Dar es Salaam Legal Aid Committee and later for almost a decade its chairman. During his tenure, hundreds of indigent clients were given legal advice on a weekly basis and many among them were given ‘first aid’ such as writing initial letters of claims or meeting opposite parties, including government functionaries, to resolve disputes. Besides, the committee ran regular radio programmes and published simple, accessible pamphlets to raise legal and rights-awareness.
Prof Peter is a renowned member of the Civil Society Movement in Tanzania. He has been involved in the founding of some Non Governmental Organizations in Tanzania and East Africa as well as being a very active member of NGO Boards. Peter was also active and instrumental in promoting legal aid networking in the country through the Legal Aid and Human Rights Network. Even after stepping down from the chairmanship of the committee, Professor Peter did not lie on his laurels. He went ahead, and together with the late Professor Haroub Othman, has been involved in the multifarious activities of the Zanzibar Legal Services Centre which he currently chairs and is also a trustee. Others include: The Kituo cha Katiba - (KCK ); The Foundation for Civil Society which he also chaired, Tanzania Journalist Association(TAJA). He also has been the chairperson of the Community Advisory Board of HIV/Research project on search for HIV vaccine.
Chris Maina Peter is a prolific writer and a very committed human rights activist. His collection of human rights cases in Tanzania together with long commentaries in a book running into over 300 pages is a standard reference for any one working in human rights.
He has published or has been a co - author of more than eighteen (18) books, twelve (12) chapters of books, and sixteen (16) articles in International Journals. Some of the celebrated works he has published include Human Rights in Tanzania: selected Cases and Materials (1997); Justice and Rule of Law in Tanzania: Selected Judgments and Writings of Justice James L. Mwalusanya (2005); Searching for Sense and Humanity, Civil Society and the Struggle for a Better Rwanda (2006) and The Law and Justice in Tanzania: quarter a Century of the Court of appeal (2007).
He has been and still is either an editor or a member of the editorial boards/advisor to a number of renowned international journals. The list include Journal of African and Intentional Law (editor in chief); Malawi Law Journal (member of Advisory Board); International Journal on Minority and Group Rights (member of Editorial Board); African Yearbook of International Law (member of Advisory Board); Yearbook on International Humanitarian Law (member of Board of Editors); East African Journal of Peace & Human Rights (member of Advisory Board), The Tanzania Human Rights Report (Member of the Editorial Board) etc. The list is long.
His most recent work is a publication he compiled and edited with Saida Yahya-Othman celebrating the life of the late Prof. Haroub Othman who passed away in June 2009, entitled HAROUB OTHMAN: Farewell to the Chairman (2009). There are many other works that have been written by Prof. Peter. It is not an exaggeration to say that his contribution in terms of publications and other writings is not easily comparable in Tanzania and has played a very positive role in the history of human rights education in Tanzania and elsewhere.
Another area that Prof. Peter has been actively involved in has been activism just to point out a few: Together with other human rights organisations, Professor Peter was active in the passage of the Human Rights and Good Governance Act, he has been involved in various activities for lobbying and advocating for Law reform to accommodate human rights standards both at the national as well as continental level has been Peter’s life-long passion. No wonder that he now sits on the United Nations Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva, a committee of 18 experts worldwide elected by the UN General Assembly for a four years term. He began to serve in 2008.
PETER, now a full Professor of Law, has, [been teaching law at the University of Dar-es-Salaam for the past 30 years. The main courses he has been teaching include, but not limited to, Public International law, Human Rights, Refugee Law, International Humanitarian Law, Law of the Sea, Investment Law and the Law of Torts. He has supervised many candidates for Masters (LLM) degree and a considerable number of PhD students. Apart from this Prof. Peter has also been a visiting lecturer and researcher in a number of universities including University of Bayreuth, Germany; University of Hamburg, Germany; University of Warwick, England; University of Graz, Austria; Raul Wallenberg Institute; Sweden etc. He also is and has been an external Examiner to various universities such as Nairobi (Kenya), Makerere (Uganda), Pretoria (South Africa), Fort Hare, Witts and University of South Africa all in South Africa.
Apart from teaching, Prof. Peter has also been involved in consultancy activities. He has been called upon to undertake many consultancies at national and international levels with the AU, UNDP, DFID, the EU, SIDA, UNITAR, the TCU, the Ministry of Justice, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, and Ministry of Home Affairs etc.
Professor Peter is one of the most respected members of our Society. He is always calm, composed but nonetheless passionate about the causes he believes in. The Tanganyika Law Society had no hesitation in nominating CHRIS MAINA PETER to the Life Time Achievement awardee this year.
With pleasure we present to you
Professor Chris Maina Peter.
[This citation is a result of contributions from Prof. Issa G. Shivji, Dr. B.T Mapunda and Ms. Helen Kijjo- Bisimba and was compiled by the Council of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS)]
[This citation is a result of contributions from Prof. Issa G. Shivji, Dr. B.T Mapunda and Ms. Helen Kijjo- Bisimba and was compiled by the Council of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS)]
Congratulations for all the achievements Professor Chris Maina Peter. Definitely well deserved. A great human being who expresses much compassion kindness and cares for people.
ReplyDeleteHe deserves the award.
ReplyDeletenafikiri profesa huyu si kwenye academics tu, pia katika maisha ya kawaida anafaa kuitwa mtakatifu; ni mtu msikivu na mnyenyekevu na anayejali maisha ya wengine kwa aina ya pekee. Kwa alowafundisha na anaoendelea kuwafundisha watakubaliana na mimi kuwa ni mtu ambaye hana 'malice' laabda ufanye uzembe wewe mwenyewe. Mwenyezi akujalie maisha marefu.
Nkyabo - Mdau Bongo
Utotoni nilikuwa nawapenda sana na kuwaona kama mashujaa wangu kina Sankara, Garang, Mandela, Che, Biko, Arafat n,k. As I was growing up nikabahatika kuwa karibu na kina Shivji, Chris Peter, Abdulrahman Babu, Ulimwengu na Salim Ahmed and I came to realize mashujaa wa kweli niko nao hapahapa na ni marafiki zangu. As a grownup I can admit Chris Peter is up there as one of my heroes together with Che, Sankara and Malcolm. Nashukuru Mungu kwa kunipa nafasi ya kujuana nawe.
ReplyDeletetahir
Hongera sana Prof. Peter. Kama kuna mtu aliyestahili hii tuzo, nadhani ni wewe hakuna mwingine. You have been at the battlefront in all the fighting for the rights of the marginalized. God bless you in all you are doing!
ReplyDeletePongezi Prof. You fully deserve the award. We wish you all the best. Ahmad A.
ReplyDeleteDear Chris, I was pleasantly pleased to read the above citation on you. I recall my meeting with you sometime in the 80s when I travelled to Dar es Salaam on a UNITAR Program. I share all the sentiments expressed concerning your person and wish you God's abiding presence and grace. Regards to your family.
ReplyDeleteProf. Oluwole Akanle
oakanle@lexnigeriana.net