DAR ES SALAAM/DODOMA: Tanzania’s judiciary said it has cleared 93 per cent of fast-tracked economic and commercial cases in a six-week drive aimed at reducing backlogs and restoring billions of shillings to circulation, in a move authorities say will bolster investor confidence.
Chief Registrar Eva Nkya said 2,973 cases were heard between Nov. 3 and Dec. 15, exceeding an initial target of 2,128 cases identified during a stakeholder meeting in October. Additional cases were incorporated after some were concluded earlier than expected, bringing the total number handled during the special sessions to 3,196.
The cases involved claims worth 13.1 trillion Tanzanian shillings (about $5 billion), funds that had been tied up in litigation across various levels of the court system.
At the outset of the initiative, 405 cases were pending at the Court of Appeal, 1,673 at the High Court, 17 at Resident Magistrates’ Courts and 33 at District Courts. The original batch of 2,128 cases involved claims of 4.4 trillion shillings.
Nkya said the exercise reduced the remaining backlog in the targeted category to around 5 per cent of the caseload, while average case disposal time fell to 96 days. Primary courts, which handle more than 70 per cent of cases nationwide, recorded an average disposal time of 30 days.
The special sessions were coordinated with public and private institutions including the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Ministry of Finance, the central bank, tax appeals bodies, bankers’ and business associations, and the legal fraternity.
Eighteen disputes were settled through court-led mediation and 25 resolved out of court, reflecting a push to expand alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Across East Africa, judicial backlogs and lengthy commercial disputes have often been cited by investors as obstacles to doing business. Tanzania’s reforms come as governments in the region seek to improve legal certainty and accelerate economic recovery following global shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions.
