DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania: Tanzanians will on Saturday bid farewell to one of the country’s most prominent legal scholars and diplomats, Prof Costa Ricky Mahalu, who will be laid to rest at Kinondoni Cemetery.
Prof Mahalu, 77, died on Monday while receiving treatment at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute. His death has prompted tributes from government officials, academics and former students who remember him as a distinguished jurist, educator and diplomat who helped shape Tanzania’s legal scholarship and international engagement.
According to family spokesperson Shariff Maajar, the body will be taken on Saturday morning to Karimjee Grounds, a historic public venue often used for national ceremonies, where the public and leaders from various sectors will have an opportunity to pay their last respects.
“At around 9:00 am, his body will be taken to Karimjee Grounds to allow the public to pay their final respects. Tea and lunch will also be served,” Maajar said. A requiem mass will follow, after which leaders will deliver condolence messages before the procession proceeds to Kinondoni Cemetery for burial.
Maajar described Prof Mahalu as a highly influential figure in legal education whose work produced generations of Tanzanian professionals.
“He devoted his life to education and mentorship. Many of his students went on to become judges, lawyers and lecturers themselves,” he said.
Among those paying tribute is Brigadier General John Mbungo, who studied under Prof Mahalu at the University of Dar es Salaam.
“I first met him in 1990 during my first year at the Faculty of Law. He was among the lecturers who shaped our understanding of the law,” Brig Gen Mbungo said.
He added that Prof Mahalu later became widely recognised for his expertise in maritime law and his service in national leadership roles.
“The nation will remember him for his professionalism and his deep knowledge of maritime law, which was his key area of specialisation,” he said.
The academic community has also expressed profound grief. Bishop Flavian Matindi Kassala, chairman of the council of St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), where Prof Mahalu served as Vice-Chancellor, said the university had lost an exceptional scholar and leader.
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“On behalf of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference and the SAUT University Council, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, the university community and all who were touched by his life,” Bishop Kassala said in a statement.
Scholar, diplomat and public servant
Born on July 9, 1948, in Katunguru Village in Sengerema District in north-western Tanzania, Prof Mahalu built a distinguished career that spanned academia, diplomacy and public service.
After completing his early education at Kibaha Secondary School and Mkwawa High School, he underwent national service training at the Makutupora camp before enrolling at the University of Dar es Salaam, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1974.
He joined the university as an assistant lecturer in 1975 and later pursued postgraduate studies in Germany, obtaining a doctorate in law from Hamburg in 1983. Upon returning to Tanzania, he rose through the academic ranks to become a professor of law.
Prof Mahalu also served as Director for Higher Education between 1992 and 1996, contributing to the development of Tanzania’s higher education policy and oversight.
His diplomatic career began in 1996 when he joined Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He later served as Tanzania’s ambassador to Italy from 2000 to 2006, representing the country in Rome and in international organisations such as the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
During his tenure, he promoted economic diplomacy and strengthened trade and investment links between Tanzania and European partners.
Beyond government service, Prof Mahalu remained active in academia and legal scholarship, lecturing and mentoring students at St Augustine University of Tanzania and other institutions.
Throughout his career, colleagues described him as a committed intellectual who combined scholarship with public service, leaving a lasting mark on Tanzania’s legal profession, diplomacy and higher education.
His legacy, former students say, lives on through the many lawyers, judges, diplomats and scholars he trained over more than four decades.
