NaLIS: Digital transformation brings legal services closer to Tanzanians

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA is embracing digital transformation in the justice sector through the National Legal Information System (NaLIS), a platform designed to improve access to legal services, promote transparency and bring essential legal information closer to citizens.

Developed under the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs, NaLIS integrates various legal service functions into a single digital platform, marking a shift from fragmented, paper based processes to a more coordinated and technology-driven approach to service delivery.

The system aims to make legal assistance more accessible, protect citizens’ rights and property, and strengthen the delivery of justice, particularly for people who face geographical and financial barriers when seeking legal services.

Before its introduction, the ministry and the wider legal sector relied on several independent systems that did not communicate effectively with one another.

These included MoCLA-MIS, MSLAC and T-LEGAL AID. The fragmented arrangement contributed to delays, duplication of records, increased paperwork and the risk of human error.

It also made it difficult to obtain accurate, timely statistics for planning and decision making, while citizens in remote areas faced additional costs and inconvenience when seeking assistance.

NaLIS seeks to address these challenges by connecting legal service processes and enabling information to flow between departments, ministries and external stakeholders.

Built on a microservices architecture, the platform allows different components to operate together while maintaining their respective functions.

It also incorporates role-based access controls to restrict users to information relevant to their responsibilities, alongside digital dashboards for monitoring activities and generating reports.

Six integrated service areas

NaLIS comprises six main components covering legal aid, public legal education, alternative dispute resolution, public legal services, natural wealth and resources, human rights, and constitutional matters and justice monitoring.

Through its legal aid component, individuals and organisations providing legal assistance can register, renew their registration and pay applicable application fees electronically through integration with the Government Electronic Payment Gateway (GePG).

The system also enables citizens seeking legal aid to submit applications online, attach supporting documents and undergo preliminary eligibility screening against established criteria.

Eligible cases can then be assigned automatically or by a responsible officer to a legal aid provider or lawyer with relevant expertise and located near the applicant.

Providers are expected to update case progress on the platform, which records the dates and times of changes to support monitoring and help minimise unnecessary delays.

Digital dashboards enable authorised users to monitor registered legal aid providers, ongoing and completed cases, applications awaiting approval, court hearing dates and revenue collected through GePG.

The platform also supports public legal education by helping officials plan and coordinate campaigns, including public meetings, radio programmes and other outreach activities.

Citizens can access digital educational materials such as articles, leaflets and videos, while reports help track the number of people reached by individual campaigns.

Another component covers alternative dispute resolution, including the registration and certification of practitioners involved in mediation, reconciliation, negotiation and related processes.

It also supports accreditation, inspections, disciplinary oversight, appeals, licence renewals and training, with the broader objective of promoting the settlement of disputes outside conventional court proceedings and helping reduce case backlogs.

Expanding access to legal services

The public legal services component manages applications involving matters such as discharge orders for people with mental health conditions, extradition processes and requests for extensions of time to file court proceedings.

Other components focus on the management of agreements involving the country’s natural wealth and resources, monitoring compliance with relevant laws, coordinating international human rights treaties and reporting, and engaging human rights stakeholders.

The constitutional and justice monitoring component provides a digital platform through which citizens can access and download information on constitutional matters and follow related issues through a dedicated dashboard.

Together, these functions are intended to improve coordination across the legal sector while making information and services easier to access.

Reducing barriers through technology One of the system’s key benefits is the potential to reduce the need for citizens to travel long distances to ministry offices or legal aid providers simply to submit applications or obtain information.

Using a smartphone or computer, a citizen can apply for legal assistance, identify an authorised provider nearby and follow the progress of an application.

NaLIS also supports electronic registration and renewal of legal aid providers, while digitally signed certificates containing QR codes allow their authenticity and validity to be checked using a mobile phone.

Automated workflows are intended to reduce administrative bottlenecks by directing applications and complaints to the relevant officers and recording the time taken to process them.

This creates a basis for monitoring service standards and improving accountability.

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Digital dashboards also provide information on applications received, cases handled, pending matters, approvals and public legal education campaigns.

The availability of timely data can help ministry officials identify areas with high demand for legal assistance, understand the distribution of applicants and allocate resources according to emerging needs.

Such information can also support budget planning, policy development and improvements in service delivery.

Multiple channels for public access

NaLIS can be accessed through its official portal, https:// nalis.sheria.go.tz/, or through the Ministry of Constitution and Legal Affairs website at www.katibanasheria.go.tz.

The system is also available through mobile applications on the App Store and Google Play, allowing users to register and search for services using their mobile devices.

For users with basic mobile phones, the system provides a USSD access option through 15200#, followed by selecting options 10, 2 and 5, according to the supplied service instructions.

Another feature is NaLIS AI, a digital assistant designed to provide general legal information, answer questions and assist users in preparing documents.

This offers an additional channel through which citizens can seek preliminary legal guidance and obtain information more conveniently.

However, general information provided by a digital as sistant should not be confused with individualised legal advice where a matter requires professional assessment.

Supporting Dira 2050 ambitions

The introduction of NaLIS aligns with Tanzania’s broader ambition to expand the use of digital technology, strengthen good governance and improve access to public services under the Tanzania Development Vision 2050.

By connecting legal processes, improving access to information and supporting datainformed decisions, the system offers a digital foundation for a more coordinated and accessible legal services sector.

Its wider contribution will depend on effective implementation, public awareness, reliable digital access and the continued protection of citizens’ personal information.

For NaLIS to achieve its full potential, citizens must know how to use the platform, legal service providers must keep records updated, and the responsible institutions must ensure that digital services remain reliable and accessible to people with different levels of technological capability.

Ultimately, the system represents an important step towards modernising legal service delivery in Tanzania.

By reducing administrative barriers and bringing information and applications closer to the public, NaLIS seeks to make access to legal services more convenient, transparent and responsive to citizens’ needs as the country advances towards 2050.