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Mkombozi Vincent Mhina
Senior Partner
E-Mail : vincent@fklawchambers.net
Professional Experience:
Mr. Mhina is a lecturer at the School of Law (formerly Faculty of Law) of the University of Dar es Salaam since January, 1986.
Mr. Mhina started his legal career as Senior Court Clerk, attached to the High Court of Tanzania (1980-1985). Upon passing the bar exam in 1992, he was enrolled as an Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania and became a Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths. Mr. Mhina has an audience before the Court of Appeal of Tanzania.
Upon taking up employment at the University of Dar es Salaam Mr. Mhina taught public international law and labour law. Since admission to the bar, he became a specialist labour lawyer and has been so for a long time, teaching, practicing and consulting on labour law.
At FK Law Chambers Mr. Mhina specialises in labour and employment legislation and case law and how it impacts on business and industry. Mr. Mhina offers advice and assists clients with legal and regulatory issues pertaining but not limited to recruitment and immigration; employment contracts; employment taxes; human resource manuals; managing discipline; termination of employment; collective bargaining and collective agreements; restructuring and retrenchments; employment benefits; occupational health and safety (OHS); strikes and lock-outs; and dispute resolution.
Mr Mhina equips clients to develop pro-active approaches to the resolution of labour and employment disputes to ensure that the employment practices and decisions of management do not generate protracted litigation and unintended and/or negative consequences for businesses. Mr. Mhina represents clients in mediation and/or arbitration before the Commission for Mediation and Arbitration (CMA), the High Court of Tanzania (Labour Division), and the Court of Appeal of Tanzania.
Mr. Mhina has also undertaken, on behalf of organisations and businesses, consultancy studies on labour law, notably in the context of the mid-2000 labour law reforms leading ultimately to the enactment of Tanzania’s new labour laws. Major consultancies include Review of Tanzania Labour Laws, A Study Commissioned by and Submitted to the Banker’s Association of Tanzania as the Association’s input into the Labour Law Reform (2001-2002); Review of Tanzanian Labour Laws and Policy, A University of Dar es Salaam Institutional Paper requested by and submitted to the Office of the Vice Chancellor as the University’s input into the Labour Law Reform 2001-2002, commissioned by the Ministry of Labour, Youth Development and Sports (2002).
Mr. Mhina has not only written papers on labour law and participated in labour law forums but he has also on several occasions served as resource person for employers and trade union alike in seminars and workshops dedicated to dissemination of knowledge on the new labour laws, including those organized by the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE). Notable examples include Workshop on the New Income Tax Act, 2004, the New Labour Institutions Act, 2004 and the New Employment and Labour Relations Act, 2004, organized by FK Law Chambers, Dar es Salaam, Golden Tulip Hotel, 24th August 2004; Seminar on New Labour Laws and BOT Corporate Plans for Trade Union Officials, Arusha, Arusha Crown Hotel, December 02, 2004 and Seminar on New labour Laws for the Bank of Tanzania Trade Union Officials, Human Resources and Legal Officers, Arusha, Kibo Palace Hotel, December 4-8, 2006; Workshop on the Application of the New Labour Laws as Challenges in Developing Harmonious Labour Relations Policies for Strengthening Workplace Negotiating Skills to Improve Productivity” organized by ATE, Tanga, VETA Centre, 26-30 March, 2007.
Outside his labour law specialty, Mr. Mhina, who takes keen interest in environmental, wildlife and tourism regulatory issues, has co-authored a report entitled Situation Analysis on National Disaster Management: A Report prepared by Economic and Research Council (ESRC), Commissioned by and submitted to the Prime Minister’ Office, July, 2001. Mr. Mhina is also consulted by foreign law firms and other organisations to research on behalf of their clients wishing to invest in Tanzania on labour and non-labour law legal and regulatory issues, such as environmental liability. Major consultancies include Situation Analysis on the Legal Framework Governing Oil Spill Liability in the United Republic of Tanzania: A Report prepared by FK Law Chambers for Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, Pennsylvania Washington, D.C. (June, 2008).
Mr. Mhina, in collaboration with the firm’s Partner responsible for corporate law, has also advised companies on regulatory issues raised by telecommunication law, the capital markets and securities law, and competition law. Major assignments include making representations, on behalf of MIC Tanzania Ltd, before the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and advising MIC Tanzania Ltd. on a dispute concerning migration to converged licensing framework (March, 2007); writing second opinion to the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) on the fidelity fund requirement for the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE); advising ABB, a Tanzanian company, on notifiability to the Fair Competition Commission (FCC) of its proposed merger with TCL, a Kenyan company.
Mr. Mhina is a Contributor of the “Local Partners” section in a widely-circulated World Bank report titled Doing Business 2008: Comparing Regulation in 178 Economies, World Bank & IFC, Washington, D.C. 2007. This Report provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across the world and is electronically available at .
Academic Qualifications:
Masters in Law from Queen’s University, Ontario Canada (1988); and Bachelor of Law (Hons) from the University of Dar es Salaam (1985). He is now writing up for his PhD degree in environmental law to be awarded by the University of Dar es Salaam following research at the University of Nottingham (UK).
Professional Qualifications:
Advocate of the High Court of Tanzania, Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths.
Membership to Professional Society
Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) and the East African Law Society (EALS).
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