By 
DODOMA, Tanzania — Tanzania has outlined a legal-sector reform agenda for the 2026/2027 financial year, placing justice delivery, legal aid, contract management, digital systems and civil registration at the centre of Vision 2050 implementation.
Presenting the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs’ Plan and Budget Estimates to Parliament, Minister Dr Juma Zuberi Homera said the Government aims to build a technology-enabled legal sector that delivers justice on time, protects public resources, supports investment and strengthens citizens’ trust in public institutions.
The Ministry, Judiciary and related institutions have requested about USD 298.23 million for salaries, operations and development projects in the 2026/2027 financial year. The budget prioritises legal-system reforms, court infrastructure, legal aid, digital transformation, witness protection, Alternative Dispute Resolution, legal education, civic education and management of natural wealth and natural-resource contracts.
The Judiciary recorded progress in case disposal during 2025/2026. Between July 2025 and March 2026, courts handled 205,038 cases, of which 166,553 were heard and concluded, while 38,485 remained at various stages. A special exercise conducted in October and November 2025 concluded 2,973 economic and commercial cases, releasing about USD 5.04 billion that had been tied up in litigation back into the economy.
The Government reported expanded legal aid coverage. Between July 2025 and March 2026, more than 7.46 million citizens were reached through legal aid services. Legal aid monitoring in 18 prisons across Mara, Mwanza, Shinyanga and Simiyu reached 3,847 prisoners and remandees, leading to the release of 1,377 through parole or alternative non-custodial sentencing after legal procedures were completed.
In the coming financial year, the Government will implement the second phase of the Mama Samia Legal Aid Campaign. The programme aims to expand access to justice for citizens regardless of location, income level or social status.
To improve efficiency and accountability in legal aid delivery, the Government plans to establish a national e-Legal Aid system within 120 days. The system will support digital case registration, service monitoring and data analysis for policy and operational decisions.
Legal identity also featured strongly. Through the Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency, 1,195,207 birth certificates were issued between July 2025 and March 2026. After the launch of 48-hour birth and death certificate issuance in December 2025, the Agency received 445,512 applications, of which 420,863 were processed within 48 hours, equal to 94 percent.
Contract management remains a major area of progress. Between July 2025 and March 2026, the Office of the Attorney General vetted 2,562 national, regional and international contracts and 396 memoranda of understanding. It also supervised 2,821 contracts signed between the Government and stakeholders. Supervised negotiations led to nine contracts worth about USD 2.88 billion.
The Ministry also reviewed 140 investment contracts in natural wealth and natural-resource sectors, while capacity-building reached 72 experts and 244 Government leaders and officials.
Alternative Dispute Resolution delivered further savings. Through negotiations supervised by the Office of the Attorney General, 143 disputes and claims were handled. Claims initially valued at about USD 1.09 billion were reduced to about USD 839.11 million, saving the Government about USD 248.74 million.
The Office of the Solicitor General also reported strong performance in civil litigation and arbitration. It handled 10,401 civil cases, with 641 concluded. Of the concluded cases, the Office won 565, equal to 88.1 percent, saving the Government about USD 121.74 million. In arbitration, the Office handled 251 matters, with 18 concluded, saving about USD 2.62 million and USD 418.17 million.
In criminal justice, the National Prosecutions Office handled 17,612 criminal cases in District and Resident Magistrates’ Courts between July 2025 and March 2026. Of these, 14,522 cases, equal to 82 percent, were concluded. Among concluded cases, 10,640, or 73 percent, resulted in convictions.
The National Prosecutions Office also opened district offices in 10 districts, bringing the total number of district offices to 118 out of 139 districts. The Office recruited 78 State Attorneys to strengthen staffing in regional and district offices.
Physical justice infrastructure also continued to expand. The Judiciary continued construction of nine Integrated Justice Centres in Geita, Lindi, Katavi, Njombe, Simiyu, Ruvuma, Songwe, Singida and South Pemba. It also continued construction of 18 District Courts and 71 Primary Courts. The National Prosecutions Office completed its headquarters in Dodoma and five regional prosecution offices, bringing completed regional prosecution office buildings to 12 out of 30.
The Ministry also advanced legal access through language. It completed the translation of 433 principal laws into Kiswahili and officially published them, bringing the total number of laws available in Kiswahili to 446.
The Law Reform Commission undertook research in strategic legal areas, including carbon trading, artificial intelligence, advocate registration and legal frameworks for challenging administrative decisions. It also reviewed laws related to natural wealth, terrorism, arbitration, occupational safety, motor vehicle insurance and insurance.
The Ministry reported progress in public legal awareness. The Law Reform Commission reached 745,693 citizens through legal education at the Sabasaba and Nanenane exhibitions. The Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance supported broadcasts, SMS outreach, leaflets and human-rights clubs, while training 2,088 stakeholders.
The human-rights component includes a national report for the Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review and a shadow report on implementation of 187 recommendations from the 2021 review cycle.
The reforms also carry regional relevance as African countries deepen trade and investment integration. The African Union lists the AfCFTA Protocol on Rules and Procedure on the Settlement of Disputes among the continental framework’s core instruments, underscoring the role of legal systems in trade governance.
With the proposed 2026/2027 budget, Tanzania aims to strengthen a legal sector that expands justice access, improves dispute resolution, protects national interests, supports legal identity, modernises legal services and contributes to economic growth across justice and economic systems.
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