How to successfully implement criminal justice commission’s recommendations

Dar es Salaam. To ensure that the Criminal Justice Review Commission’s hard work bears fruit, commitment, cooperation and coordination among various branches of the government and other relevant institutions are essential, analysts have said.

Stakeholders' views obtained by The Citizen show that although there is high optimism on implementation, it is imperative that all stakeholders work together in good faith to bring about the desired results.

Key player also include law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations and the public at large.

Commission vice chairman Ombeni Sefue said during a meeting with editors last week that the team was confident that all recommendations will be fully implemented.

He said undeniable political will under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, good economic prospects and digital development as key factors that will drive the change.

State University of Zanzibar (Suza) vice chancellor Mohamed Makame Haji said there is notable faith in implementing the commission's recommendations due to the genuine intention already shown by the government, regardless of the existing challenges.

"The commission's task was to oversee the process of gathering opinions; they are not lawmakers. The implementers and decision-makers are the relevant bodies, which will determine what can be done and what is possible," he said.

Prof Haji stated that the commission performed its work well by collecting diverse and extensive opinions and highlighting the fundamental and most important aspects that need to be addressed.

In their statement Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), they have also mentioned that all the recommendations provided are implementable and have categorized them into three groups for advising their execution.

“First, there are recommendations that concern institutional culture and practices, which do not require funding or legal amendments. The second group pertains to law enforcement misconduct, such as arbitrary arrests, and the third group involves improvements to laws and criminal justice institutions,” LHRC stated in part.

In their issued statement they said, “We trust that since this report was presented before the heads of security and law enforcement agencies, which are responsible for criminal justice, they will take immediate action on the issues in the first two groups. The remaining issues can be addressed in phases and within a short period,”

Despite the optimism, there remains a level of skepticism among certain stakeholders due to past experiences with similar commissions.

In the past, several commissions have been established to investigate and recommend reforms within several government institutions only to see their recommendations gathering dust on shelves.

These instances have left a sense of distrust and apprehension among some stakeholders, who fear that this commission's efforts could be in vain, much like its predecessors.

A consultant in social and economic policy development, Mr Buberwa Kaiza, stated that significant changes are needed in various areas to ensure the implementation of the recommendations.

"The implementation relies on budget, changes in laws, addressing the culture within security institutions and the general public, all of which require commitment from all institutions and time to execute,” he said.