Govt advances access to justice, legal reforms
DODOMA: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership in her second term is giving fresh momentum to Tanzania’s efforts to build a more accessible, inclusive and efficient justice system, with reforms increasingly focused on bringing the law closer to ordinary citizens.
By placing access to justice, legal awareness and institutional accountability among her administration’s priorities, President Samia is demonstrating that national development must go beyond economic growth to include the protection of citizens’ rights and equal access to legal services.
A significant achievement during her first year in the second term is the translation of 433 principal laws into Kiswahili, bringing the total number available in the national language to 446.
This directly advances her commitment, announced when addressing the 13th Parliament on November 14, 2025, to ensure Tanzanians understand the laws governing their lives.
The initiative reflects an important aspect of her leadership: Making public institutions and national policies more accessible to citizens.
By reducing language barriers, the government is helping people better understand their rights, responsibilities and legal obligations, strengthening public participation and the rule of law.
President Samia has further demonstrated her commitment by urging legal institutions to educate citizens about the translated laws rather than treating publication as the final achievement. This emphasis is important because legal awareness empowers individuals to make informed decisions and seek justice when their rights are violated.
Her administration has also continued expanding legal aid services, particularly for vulnerable citizens who cannot afford professional legal representation. Legal aid clinics conducted in Morogoro and Singida during January 2026 reached 2,905 people, demonstrating the importance of taking legal assistance closer to communities.
The introduction of the National Legal Information System (NaLIS) represents another step in the President’s wider digital transformation agenda.
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By improving registration, coordination and monitoring of legal aid providers, the platform can strengthen accountability and help identify communities that remain underserved.
Similarly, the registration and training of alternative dispute resolution practitioners demonstrate efforts to reduce pressure on courts while providing citizens with potentially faster and more affordable ways of resolving disputes.
These developments reflect a leadership approach that recognises justice as an essential foundation for democracy, good governance and sustainable development.
The introduction of NaLIS is relevant to some of the audit’s concerns, particularly the need for stronger registration and coordination systems.
Nevertheless, the audit’s recommendations also point to the importance of adequate funding, stronger oversight and quality assurance to ensure that legal aid services reach vulnerable people throughout the country.
As Tanzania continues translating its laws and strengthening legal services, the next test will be to ensure that these achievements result in practical improvements for citizens: Laws they can understand, legal assistance they can access and a justice system that resolves disputes fairly and without unnecessary delays.
