Jinsi gani uandike mkataba?

Mkataba ni makubaliano baina ya watu au pande kadhaa yenye nguvu kisheria. Mkataba unaweza kuwa  wa maandishi, mdomo au vitendo. 

Mkataba wa maandishi ni aina ya makubaliano yanayoweza kufikiwa na kuwekwa katika mfumo wa kimaandishi. Katika aina hii ya mkataba ni vyema kabisa mambo ya msingi katika makubaliano yakajumuishwa ndani. Kanuni za kiuandishi ni sharti zizingatiwe ili kuondoa utata unaoweza kujitokeza mbeleni kwenye tafsiri.

Mkataba wa mdomo unaweza kufanywa kwa maneno ya mdomo. Kwa mfano unapokwenda dukani kwa Mangi mtaani kununua bidhaa fulani fulani za rejareja huwa hamuandikishiani bali mnakubaliana kwa njia ya mdomo.

Lakini pia tunapopanda daladala ili kusafiri kutoka sehemu moja kwenda nyingine hatuandikishani mkataba na makondakta bali huwa makubaliano yanafanyika kwa njia ya mdomo kwamba anakufikisha sehemu fulani kituoni unashuka halafu unamlipa nauli. Hii ni baadhi  ya mifano kadhaa ninayoweza kukupa kuhusiana na aina hii ya mkataba.
  

Mkataba wa vitendo ni mkataba amabao unaoweza kufanywa kwa njia ya matendo. Kwa mfano msambazaji wa mchele wa jumla kama kwa kawaida huwa analeta gunia kadhaa za mchele  na anamwachia muuzaji hafafu muuzaji akimaliza kuuza anamlipa yule msambazaji japokuwa hawakuandikishiana popote makubaliano yale yatakuwa na nguvu kisheria kwani mkataba ule tutauita  mkataba au makubaliano ya vitendo (implied contract).

Ni upi mkataba wenye nguvu kisheria? 

Maelezo ya hapo juu yanaweza yakawa ni makubaliano tu na sio mkataba. Ijulikane ya kwamba mikataba yote ni makubaliano ila sio makubaliano yote ni mikataba isipokuwa yamekidhi vigezo vya kimkataba. Vigezo hivyo  vimewekwa na sharia ya mikataba ya Tanzania kwa jina la The Law of Contract Act, [R.E 2002]. Kwenye kifungu cha 10 cha sharia hiyo kinataja baadhi ya vigezo ambayo ni lazima yawepo kwenye makubaliano fulani ili yaweze kuwa mkataba.

Vigezo hivyo ni kama vile lazima kuwe na makubaliano huru baina ya pande zinazohusika katika mkataba. Na makubaliano hayo hayapaswi kufikiwa kwa kushawishiwa na rushwa, kulazimishwa au nguvu.

Lakini pia wahusika wa mkataba ni sharti wawe na uwezo kisheria wa kuingia mkataba. Uwezo wa kisheria unaohitajika ili mtu aweze kuingia mikataba ni kama vile kutimiza umri wa miaka kumi na minane (18) au zaidi na asiwe na tatizo la akili wakati wanaingia makubaliano hayo kwa kiasi ambacho kitaathiri kuingiwa kwa mkataba.

Mkataba pia usiwe na lengo linalokwenda kinyume cha sharia au sera za nchi. Huwezi kufanya mkataba wa kuuziana bangi au dawa za kulevya au kuua mtu au kuuza mwili kingono ukadhani utakuwa na nguvu kisheria, haitowezekana kamwe kwani lengo lake linakwenda kinyume kabisa na sheria au sera za nchi.

Kigezo kingine ni lazima katika mkataba kuwe na mabadilishano ya kitu kwa kitu yanayoruhusiwa na sharia (a lawful consideration). Kwa mfano unapokwenda kununua nyumba kwa kiasi cha shilingi milioni kumi, tunasema hiyo milioni kumi ni consideration ya thamani ya nyumba. Hivyo ni baadhi ya vigezo vichache vinavyotakiwa ili makubaliano yawe mkataba.

Ndugu msomaji wangu pengine unaweza kujiuliza ni nini basi maana ya makubaliano? Na ni kwanini sio makubaliano yote yanaweza kuwa na nguvu kisheria au kuitwa mkataba? Nitalijibu swali hili kwa mifano.

Tuchukulie unae mtoto anasoma kidato cha nne na ukamuahidi simu aina ya SAMSUNG NOTE 5 endapo ataweza kufaulu mitihani yake ya kidato cha nne, ni wazi kabisa haya ni makubaliano tu kati ya mzazi na mwanawe na mtoto hatoweza kwenda kufungua shauri mahakamani kumshtaki mzazi wake kwa sababu hayajaweza kukidhi baadhi ya vigezo vinavyotakiwa na sheria ili yaweze kuwa mkataba. 

Mfano wa pili ni mume anaweza akamuahidi mkewe kumnunulia gari katika sherehe ya kukumbuka siku yake ya kuzaliwa, haya pia ni makubaliano yasiyoweza kufikia uwezo wa kuitwa mkataba kwani mume akishindwa kutimiza alichokiahidi mkewe hawezi kumshtaki mumewe kwa kuvunja mkataba kwani huo haujatimiza vigezo vya kuitwa mkataba.

Jinsi ya kuandaa mkataba wa biashara

Haya ni baadhi ya mambo yanayopaswa yawepo wakati unaandika mkataba wa biashara. Nomba ijulikane kwamba hakuna namna maalumu ya kuandika (draft) mkataba isipokuwa yapo mambo muhimu yanayoyakiwa yawepo katika mkataba:

1. Kichwa cha mkataba.

Huwa kinatangulia mwanzo wa mkataba kabla ya mambo yote. Kichwa cha mkataba kinaweza kuwekwa juu kabisa ya mkataba katikati kama ukipenda. Kichwa cha mkataba kinatakiwa kueleza mkataba huo unahusiana na nini kwa ufupi sana. Kinaposomwa kichwa cha mkataba picha ya mkataba mzima inatakiwa ionekane bila hata ya kuusoma ndani. Mfano inaweza ikawa hivi MKATABA WA MAUZIANO YA NYUMBA

2. Taja majina ya wahusika wa mkataba 

Baada ya kichwa cha mkataba unaweza ukaandika majina ya pande zinazohusika katika mkataba. Kumbuka sio kila mtu anatakiwa kuingia kwenye mkataba kama nilivyokwisha kudokeza. Kwa mfano, muunganiko wa kichwa cha mkataba na majina ya pande husika zinaweza kuwa katika muonekano ufuatao:

MKATABA WA MAUZIANO YA SHAMBA

kati ya

COMFORT M. NGOWI (wa S.L.P 54 Marangu, ambapo kwenye mkataba huu atajulikana kama ‘Muuzaji’)

na

FAITH M. NGOWI (wa S.L.P 432 Mabibo, ambapo katika mkataba huu atajulikana kama ‘Mnunuaji’)

3. Tarehe na mahali mliposainishana mkataba

Hii pia ni shehemu muhimu sana. Ni vyema tarehe ya siku mnayosainishiana mkataba ikawepo bila kusahau mahali. Inaweza ikawa ni mji au wilaya. Mfano: Mkataba huu umefungwa hapa DAR ES SALAAM leo Tarehe 21.08.2017.

4. Siku ya mkataba utakapoanza na kufikia ukomo rasmi

Kama mkataba unategemewa kuanza siku tofauti na ile ambayo wahusika wamesainishiana basi ni sharti kuwepo kifungu kinachoonyesha hivyo. Hii inatokea pale wahusika wa mkataba hawataweza kuonana siku za usoni hivyo mnaweza kusainishana mkataba tarehe fulani halafu mnaweka na kifungu kinachoonyesha siku utakapoanza rasmi. 

Kwa kuongezea tu kama mkataba una siku ya kufikia ukomo ni vyema tarehe ikaandikwa japokuwa hii sio muhimu sana kwani zipo njia nyingine zinazoweza kuufikisha mkataba kwenye ukomo.

5. Kiwango cha fedha kinachotumika 

Kiwango cha fedha kinachotumika katika biashara ni lazima kitajwe. Kwa mfano: Unaweza kuandika hivi ‘Kwamba muuzaji kamuuzia mnunuaji nyumba iliyoko Mabibo yenye namba Mabibo- Mwananchi plot b/480 Ubungo kwa kiasi cha Shilingi za KItanzania Milioni 800.

6. Kitu kinachohusika katika biashara

Ni lazima mkataba utaje ni kitu gani kinachohusika katika biashara mnayoiingia mkataba. Ni vyema ukaweka taarifa zote ambazo unadhani ni muhimu zinazohusiana na kitu hicho.

Rejea kwenye mfano nilioutoa hapo juu ‘Nyumba’ ndio kitu kinachohusika katika biashara. Na kama ambavyo tulivyoweza kuona taarifa kuhusiana na nyumba hiyo zimetolewa kama vile namba ya kiwanja pamoja na sehemu kilipo. Hii itasaidia kuondoa utata pindi litakapotokea tatizo baadae.

7. Namna malipo yatakavyofanyika

Je unataka njia gani itumike katika kufanya malipo? Je ni kwa njia ya Benki au Mkono au M-Pesa au Tigopesa? Je unataka malipo yafanyikeje, yote kwa pamoja au kidogo kidogo? Je unataka ulipwe kwa kutumia pesa ya kitanzania au kigeni? Yote haya unaweza ukayaweka kwenye mkataba kama sehemu ya makubaliano yenu.

8. Sehemu ambayo mngependa mgogoro ushughulikiwe endapo utatokea

Hapa mnaandika ni wapi mngependa mgogoro ushughulikiwe pindi utakapotokea. Je mtapenda kupeleka mgogoro wenu mahakamani au kwenye mabaraza ya usuluhishi? Kama mmoja wenu ni raia wa kigeni je mngependa iwe nchi gani yenye mamlaka ya kushughulikia mgogoro wenu? Kumbuka kama mmekubaliana katika mkataba mgogoro utakapotokea upelekwe sehemu fulani hamna atakayeweza kufanya vinginevyo nje ya makubaliano yanu. 

9. Sheria ambayo mngependa itumike kusimamia mkataba wenu

Maelezo ya hapa yanakaribia kufanana na hayo hapo juu kwenye kipengele namba nane (8). Ni uamuzi wenu kuchagua mnataka sheria ipi itumike kusimamia mkataba wenu. Hii itakuwa ina nafasi sana kama mnaingia mkataba unaohusisha raia wa nchi zaidi ya moja.

10.   Mambo yatakayopelekea mkataba kuvunjika

Mnaweza mkaweka kifungu ambacho kinabeba mambo ambayo kama yakifanyika yatapelekea mkataba wenu kuvunjika. Ni vyema kila upande kwenye makataba ukaguswa kwa namna yake na mambo hayo. Kwa mfano, mnaweza kukubaliana ya kwamba mnunuzi kama akichelewa kufanya malipo kwa muuzaji kwa kipindi cha siku thelathini (30) basi atakuwa amevunja masharti mkataba automatic. 

11. Taarifa

Mnaweza pia mkaweka kifungu ndani ya mkataba ambacho kinatoa anuani ya kutumia taarifa na endapo kama ikitokea kuna taarifa yoyote ambayo inatakiwa kumfikia yeyote anayehusika na mkataba. Mnaweza mkaweka anuani ya sanduku la barua au barua pepe au namba ya simu kama mtakavyokubaliana kwa kila upande. 

12. Mkataba unatakiwa usainiwe na wahusika katika mkataba

Kusaini mkataba ni ishara ya kwamba wahusika wote katika mkataba wamekubali kufungwa na yaliyomo ndani ya mkataba. Kabla hujasaini mkataba wowote sana sana ile inayoandaliwa na upande mmoja ‘standard form contract’ mfano wa ile tunayoiombea mikopo Benki uisome kwanza kwani kusaini mkataba kuna maana kubwa sana kuwa umekubali kubanwa na masharti yaliyomo ndani kama nilivyokwisha kuelezea, huwezi kusema baadae jamani sikusoma! utabanwa hata kama hukuusoma.

13. Mashahidi nao wanatakiwa kusaini

Hawa ni vizuri wasipungue wawili yaani mmoja kutoka kila upande. Hawa kazi yao ni kuthibitisha ya kwamba mkataba huu umesainiwa na wahusika mbele yao. Mashahidi wanatakiwa wawe ni watu wenye vigezo vya kuwa mashahidi yaani wasiwe watoto au watu wenye upungufu wa akili wakati wa kusaini mkataba.

Angalizo: Hivyo nilivyoviaja hapo juu ni mfano wa mambo yale muhimu yanayotakiwa katika mkataba, hivyo basi pande husika katika mkataba mnaweza kukubaliana mnavyotaka isipokuwa vipengele vyenu visiende kinyume na sheria za nchi. Pia ijulikane ya kwamba mikataba inatofautiana. Ni wazi mkataba wa kuuziana gari hauwezi kufanana na ule ya kuuza au kukodisha nyumba. Kwa maana hiyo nilichokifanya hapa ndugu msomaji wangu ni kukupa mwanga namna mkataba unatakiwa kuandikwa vingine utajiongeza.

Things to consider before and at the time of making a will

 

There was a time I was believing to make a Will is just like wishing or predict your own death. That made me worry too much when it came to the issues relating to a Will. I believe the same situation is facing many people especially to those from African societies whereby making a Will it is a something most people doesn’t like to associate with. 
Furthermore, others believe a Will is for the intellectuals or elders or males or those who are about to die or wealthy people owns big things like houses, shares in different companies and so on. Those queries are going to be covered in this article stage by stage. Briefly, I am going to look on the legal meaning of Will, types of Will, what makes a Will valid and why a Will should be made.

What does a Will mean?

It is a declaration whereby a person who is making a Will (testator) explaining how his estate is going to be administered after his or her demise. In a Will the testator may arrange things like in how his or her estate is going to be administered, which hear or beneficiary is going to inherit his or her estate and with what amount, the list of properties fall in his or her estate, debtor or/and creditor of testator and how his or her remains will be cemented.

It should be remembered that failure to make a Will or leaving aWill with some errors may result to distribute the estate by following the rules of intestate succession (rules which is used to distribute the deceased’s estate for those who did not leave a Will).

  

Types of Will

It depends on how you put them; it can be one or more depends on where you stand. But my research and experience in legal fraternity I have come up with four types of Will. Some categorizes them into two types of the Will i.e. Oral and Written Will  which might be correct. The aim here is to makes you understand than being too academic. It is my sincerely hope that you might come up with less or more types after take into consideration the herein explanation.  Now lets take a look:

1. Oral Will
This is a kind of Will which is normally made by word of mouth. Although it is very difficult to prove the existence of this kind of Will but it has a legal recognition as others does. For instance, The Local Customary Law (Declaration)(No.4) Order, 1963 it requires such kind of Will to be witnessed by not less than four (4) witnesses i.e. two should be the relative of the testator and other two unrelated. If the decease at the time of making a Will has a wife or wives, they should be present too.

Take note that the wife or wives are out of the required four witnesses. If this and other required legal formalities are not met then a Will would be rendered void.

2. Written Will.
The written will is presented by way of writing. The main purpose of this Will is just the same like the previous one I have mentioned above. This Will has the strictly rules and should be adhered or otherwise would be rendered void.

The Will should be written and signed by testator in front of not less than two witnesses in which one should be the relative of testator.

The written Will can be revoked (changed or cancelled) by the same written Will, likewise it can do the same to the oral Will but oral Will cannot do the vice versa. And the one who should be doing all that has to be a testator and no one else.
      

3. Mutual Will
This kind of Will is written with two persons who have the same intention(s). In a mutual Will both parties has to reach a simultaneous agreement concerning certain things in the Will jointly.

This kind of Will is highly preferred by spouses. Under the said mutual Will testators can agreed apart from other things that the estate would pass to the remaining survival in case one between them die and then after when the survival or both passed away.
It should be known that this kind of a Will cannot be changed otherwise later in case one between the testators dies.

4. Conditional Will
In this Will, certain condition(s) are provides and should be met first before the performance of Will. A mutual Will will have a legal effect after provided condition(s) are met. The conditions under the Will should be possible to fulfill. The impossibilities on condition(s) would render a Will nugatory (no value. 

For instance, I may leave a Will to my son 'Comfort' promising him a certain plot of Land but until he has a College Degree. This is conditional Will intending to come into force after a son graduated a collage and finally have a degree. The son before that he cannot able to inherit the said plot until having a college degree.

What makes a Will valid?

A Will should swim in the following values which I am about to explain unless it might be rendered invalid and the rules of intestate succession will be followed regardless you have left a Will.

1. The testator should have a legal capacity in order to make a Will. The legal capacity of testator is the age of majority i.e. eighteen (18) years old and mental fit at the time of preparing a Will. In terms of age under Customary Law the testator should be at twenty one years (21) old or above. If the maker of a Will has a temporary insanity, he or she can make a Will when he or she is mental stable. In such situation a Will will have the legal impact. 
2. The testator should be conversant with what is written in the Will. If it happens testator is not the one who has written a Will then he or she should be told what is written therein before sign it. This is happening in case a Lawyer or another person is the one who has written a Will with testator’s direction.  
3.  In case of the written will it should contain the testator’s names.   
4. A Will should mention an Executor. 
5. In case of the written Will it should contain a date on which it was made.       
6. A Will must state the nature and value of properties which fall under testator’s estate. If there is a  property shared with another person then a Will must state that.       
7. A Will should mention down hears and beneficiaries of the estate. 
8. A Will should state a situation in case hear(s) and beneficiaries preceded testator.
9. A Will must take into consideration marriage which might be contacted after the Will made. A marriage in one way or another will affect a Will made before it.
10. In case of the written Will it should be signed in the presence of all required witnesses.
11. Testator must show that he or she made a Will with a free Will..    
12. A Will must be attested. 
13. Testator must put a clause which revokes the Will which was made previously. This will clear doubts if there is more than one Will. 
14.   If a testator disinherit a hear must state the reasons therein.   

In case the above mentioned features are not covered in the Will it might cause a problem at the future. And as I explained elsewhere in this article the rules of intestate succession might follow in administering and distributing the deceased’s estate depending the nature of situation. 

Note: It should be remembered that there is no a clear format on how to write a Will, however the above covered values must be taken into account before and at the time of making a Will, doing that will make your Will valid as any kind of qualified Will.

Why a Will should be made?

1. It will help the testator to make an arrangements on how his estate would be administered after his or her demise. This will restrict the strangers from messing up with the deceases estate.
2. Testator will avoid rules of intestate to be applied in administering and distributing his property. As I explained elsewhere in this article if you don’t arrange while you are still alive on how you want your estate to be managed then after your death someone else Will do that for you in his way, that is to say the rule of intestate Will take over in administering and distributing your estate even if it is against what you would prefer.
3. Testator would be able to choose a person he trusts to administer his estate and take care of his children upon his demise.
4. A Will would help to discover the properties owned by deceased; including who is going to get what with which ratio.  
5. In the Will, testator may provide on how he or she is going to be buried. Here the testator may explain as much as possible on how his or her remains will be cemented.   

At which time a Will can be made? 

As I stated earlier the main purpose of preparing a Will is to make sure an arrangement is set on how testator's estate is going to be administered upon his or her demise. Most people think a person should be wealthy in order to leave a Will. That is wrong because one may leave a Will explaining not to be buried instead his or her body being preserved and used in experiment by Medical Doctor Students in certain University.

At any time a person can prepare a Will. No one knows when he or she is going to die so it is important to leave the Will as early
as possible and not until you are hospitalized or unconscious.

Who can make a Will? 

Anyone can make a Will as long as he or she is not legally barred for incapacity reasons. Incapacity reasons is like age of minority and mental unstable at the time of making a Will as I pointed out earlier. 

Where can a Will be preserved? 

A Will can be preserved anywhere safe, a place whereby no stranger can reach and maliciously affect it. The following are some of places where a Will can be stored; to a lawyer, at the church or mosque or any other religious ministry, at the high court registry, bank, RITA (Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency) or to any person who is not a beneficiary under the Will.

Note: Take note that a Will is just a document, in terms of legal force, until the maker of it passed away. The legal procedures must be followed in order for it to have an impact.