Chief Secretary Dr. Moses Kusiluka has announced that the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has appointed Justice George Masaju as the Chief Justice of the Judiciary of Tanzania, succeeding Justice Professor Ibrahim Juma who has retired.
The announcement was made today, June 13, 2025, and it was stated that the new Chief Justice will be sworn in on June 15, 2025, at the Chamwino State House in Dodoma at 10:00 a.m.
Who is Chief Justice-designate George Masaju?
While serving as Deputy Attorney General on January 2, 2015, the fourth-phase President, Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, appointed Masaju as Attorney General. Prior to his role as Deputy Attorney General, Masaju also served as Legal Advisor to the President.
After President Kikwete left office, the fifth-phase President, the late Dr. John Pombe Magufuli, reappointed Masaju to continue serving as Attorney General until 2018. In February 2018, President Dr. Magufuli appointed Masaju as a Judge of the High Court of Tanzania.
On April 20, 2023, President Samia appointed him as Advisor to the President on Legal Affairs. At that time, Justice Masaju was serving as a High Court Judge in the Dodoma Zone. In January 2025, President Samia appointed Justice Masaju as a Judge of the Court of Appeal.
While serving as Attorney General during the fifth-phase government, the Chief Justice-designate is remembered for presenting and overseeing key bills in Parliament, such as the Access to Information Act, the Media Services Act, and amendments to laws governing mineral and national resource management.
