Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is mourning the death of distinguished academic, diplomat and legal scholar, Prof Costa Ricky Mahalu, who passed away at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute in Dar es Salaam.
He was 77.
A family member confirmed to The Citizen that Prof Mahalu died peacefully at the hospital.
Born on July 9, 1948, in Katunguru Village, Sengerema District, in what is now Mwanza Region, Prof Mahalu built a long career in academia, diplomacy and public service.
He began his education in his home district before attending Kibaha Secondary School for his Ordinary Level secondary studies and later Mkwawa High School for Advanced Level of secondary education.
In 1971, he underwent basic military training at the Makutupora National Service Camp in Dodoma before enrolling at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1974.
A year later, he joined UDSM as an assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Law. Between 1976 and 1978, he pursued a master’s degree in law, while continuing to teach.
In 1979, Prof Mahalu travelled to Hamburg, Germany, to undertake doctoral studies and obtained his PhD in law in 1983. Upon returning to Tanzania, he was promoted to senior lecturer at the UDSM.
His academic career expanded internationally when he returned to Germany in 1990 as a lecturer before eventually being appointed professor of law at the University of Dar es Salaam.
Prof Mahalu also served as Director for Higher Education between 1992 and 1996, contributing to policy development and oversight in the country’s higher education sector.
In October 1996, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marking the beginning of his diplomatic career. He was posted to Germany as an assistant to the Tanzanian ambassador before being appointed Tanzania’s ambassador to Italy, a position he held from 2000 to 2006.
Beyond diplomacy, Prof Mahalu continued to contribute to legal education, including serving as a lecturer at St Augustine University of Tanzania.
Throughout his career, he was widely recognised for his dedication to advancing legal scholarship and public service in Tanzania.
Prof Mahalu is remembered as a respected scholar, seasoned diplomat and committed educator whose work helped shape legal education and international representation for Tanzania.
