Government admits delays in enforcing court decisions continue

Dodoma. The government has acknowledged challenges in enforcing court decisions for people who have won cases, blaming negligence among some lower-level officials for delays in delivering justice.

It has urged citizens facing such challenges to seek assistance from Regional and District Commissioners’ offices, which have authorities, including the police, to help ensure court decisions are implemented.

The Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Dr Juma Homera, made the remarks on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, while responding to public complaints during the “Sema na Waziri” programme, which receives grievances from citizens.

Dr Homera said many complaints submitted to his office involved cases where individuals had already secured favourable court rulings but faced difficulties when seeking enforcement.

“Many of the calls we received today show that people have already won cases in court, but there is negligence somewhere that needs to be addressed so that citizens who win cases can receive justice without unnecessary delays,” he said.

In another development, Dr Homera directed authorities to ensure that the case involving Salumu Namtuka, a Dar es Salaam resident, is handled fairly, describing as unacceptable a situation where a state attorney advised that a criminal matter be resolved through a civil claim before it reached court.

Mr Namtuka contacted the programme to explain how he had been frustrated by the police after allegedly being shot.

He said he still has a piece of metal lodged in his neck from the incident, which he described as having taken too long to resolve.

He claimed a state attorney advised him to file a civil case despite what he considered clear evidence, arguing that the suspects did not intend to cause injury.

“This is very unusual. A state attorney cannot make decisions based on personal judgment. This is not right. Police, please reopen this case so that we can help this citizen,” Dr Homera told Dar es Salaam police officers.

The minister said a country cannot achieve justice without strong laws and effective enforcement, urging all stakeholders to play their part in protecting citizens’ rights.

Commenting on the use of English in court judgments, Dr Homera said lawyers would soon tour the country to explain laws translated into Kiswahili following President Hassan’s directive issued in Arusha on Monday.

He said 446 laws have so far been translated into Kiswahili, while nearly 1,000 others are in the process of being translated.

However, he urged judges to improve the quality of their judgment writing to ensure decisions are easier for citizens to understand.