Public to get connected to over 4, 000 lawyers in a new local App

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - 2 min read

Constitution and Legal Affairs minister Palamagamba Kabudi (left) and Legal Services Facility (LSF) chief executive officer Lulu Ng’wanakilala jointly launch the HAKI YANGU App system designed by LSF to help citizens access legal services via the phone in Dar es Salaam yesterday. PHOTO | ERICKY

By Josephine Christopher

Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers

Mwananchi Communications Limitted

Dar es Salaam. One Local legal organization has developed a digital software that would allow citizen to communicate directly with nearly 4, 000 legal aid service providers via mobile phone.
The application titles ‘Haki Yangu’ was launched by Legal Services Facility (LSF) on Tuesday June 15, 2021 and graced by the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Professor Palamagamba Kabudi.
Prof Kabudi said access to justice in general as it is important in stimulating social and economic development, and the system would facilitate on moving services closer to citizens who need support and legal assistants.
"I believe that through this system as well, many citizens, including mothers and children, will be able to get more immediate assistance when they face various challenges related to the suppression of their rights due to various factors such as gender or age," said Prof Kabudi.
He said the six-phase government recognizes the contribution made by development partners in Tanzania including the private sector in supporting the government's efforts to improve various social services including legal aid services.
LSF’s chief executive officer, Lulu Ng'wanakilala said the organization has developed a HAKI YANGU App framework to continue to ensure that; legal aid services in Tanzania are more accessible because it has been a challenge in society despite its importance.
"Through the experience of LSF in implementing the access to justice project in the country we have seen that, the majority of citizens still face various challenges including acts of sexual violence against women and children so this approach will facilitate access to legal aid services more easily anywhere via cell phone,” she said.
Ms Ng'wanakilala said, “For 10 years now, we as LSF have been empowering more than 200 legal aid providers across the country to provide this vital service to the community for free. HAKI YANGU App is just a continuation of the implementation of our project that aims to have a legally empowered community by providing free legal aid services to all citizens. ”
According to their 2020 annual report, LSF through their justice project in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, they have facilitated nearly 6 million access to legal education, and approximately 90,000 cases have reached out to legal aid providers, where 60 percent of these cases have been resolved by the service providers.