Citizens reclaim stolen rights as ‘Sema na Waziri’ delivers swift justice

DODOMA: THE ‘Sema na Waziri programme’ has continued to emerge as a lifeline for scores of Tanzanian citizens struggling with long-standing legal challenges and unresolved disputes at lower administrative levels affirming the commitment of the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs to bring justice closer to the people.

Now in its fourth phase since its launch on March 17, 2026, the programme has received and worked on more than 100 cases, with the ministry emphasizing that no complaint lodged by a citizen will be left unattended.

Speaking yesterday  in Dodoma while receiving complaints via phone calls under the programme, the Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Dr Juma Homera, said the initiative was deliberately designed to “return the ministry to the people” and ensure that citizens benefit fully from justice services.

He noted that many citizens who reach out to the ministry complain of being “tossed around” when seeking help in other offices, often without clear or practical solutions.

“Our ministry belongs to the people. We do not leave behind any complaint regardless of tribe, faith or political affiliation,” he said.

Among the cases resolved so far is that of Huruma Zacharia, a youth from Singida who worked for his sister for two years without pay and was allegedly threatened with harm.

After Huruma lodged his complaint on April 22, the ministry summoned both parties to mediate the dispute.

This resulted in Huruma receiving his 800,000/- in unpaid wages and a formal apology from his sister, Sarah Zacharia, for both the unpaid labour and the threats.

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In another intervention, the ministry intervened on behalf of Salma Omari, a student at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) Mwanza Campus, enabling her reinstatement to her preferred programme after she was mistakenly placed in a course she never applied for.

The minister has also pledged action in a high-stakes land dispute involving Andrew Ndalawa from Mwanza, who claims that his legally owned plot, documented since 2007 was subjected to double allocation in 2011, leading to an unlawful takeover and the disappearance of his land records from the system.

A team of ministry officers will be dispatched to Mwanza to meet regional authorities and investigate the matter thoroughly.

“We will not tolerate cases of land seizure through intimidation or abuse of the system. Every Tanzanian deserves protection under the law,” Dr Homera stressed.

He said the ministry will issue a public statement once investigations are complete and appropriate action is taken against those responsible for any rights violations.

Another caller, Rogers Karunde, a former student at the University of Dodoma (UDOM) registered under number T/UDOM/2020/00473, appealed for intervention after being disqualified from the Bachelor of Computer Engineering programme during the 2022/2023 academic year.

Karunde alleged that examination results at the School of Informatics were tampered with, leading to changes that placed him among students discontinued despite having already reached his final year.

Responding, Dr Homera assured him that the matter will be thoroughly examined in collaboration with UDOM and the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, to ensure a fair and lawful remedy.