Fatuma Mbaruku, a 38-year-old mother of four, traveled from Azimio to the Temeke Integrated Justice Center to file for custody and support for her four children after her 2023 divorce.
Arriving at 11:00 a.m., Fatuma, who had an infant needing periodic breastfeeding, received help with her case through the center's online e-filing system. While waiting for her procedures to be completed, she was directed to a special breastfeeding room, providing her with privacy.
"The care I have received since my arrival is unbelievable," said Fatuma. "I appreciate the warm welcome and high-quality assistance. They informed me of the special breastfeeding room, ensuring my comfort while waiting for my case documents."
The Temeke Integrated Justice Center (IJC) is one of six centers in Tanzania to provide comprehensive services in one location, as part of the IDA-supported Citizen-Centric Judicial Modernization and Justice Delivery Project (CCJMP), with nine more under construction in Lindi, Songea, Songwe, Geita, Katavi, Pemba, Singida, Simiyu, and Njombe. The project development objective of the $155 million CCJMP, implemented by the Judiciary of Tanzania since 2016, is to improve the efficiency and transparency of, and access to selected citizen-centric justice services.
Referred to as "one-stop centers" (OSCs), establishments like Temeke were created to facilitate equal and timely justice for all, particularly in family cases, and to enhance gender justice. In addition to the designated child-care room, the Temeke Center houses the Primary Court, District Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal, along with essential stakeholders such as legal aid providers, social welfare officers, police gender desk personnel, advocates, and religious leaders.
"Some clients simply couldn't afford the transport fare around the city if they had to seek the services of all these providers at different locations in the city," said Judge Mwanabaraka Mnyukwa, the Judge in Charge at Temeke OSC.
Since its establishment in August 2021 up until March 31, 2024, the center has registered a total of 17,467 cases. Out of these, 16,328 cases have been decided, leaving 1,139 cases pending, as of March 31, 2024, across all court levels. The Temeke OSC receives an average of 800 customers daily, and by March 2024, it had served 467,825 customers, of which 267,109 (57%) are women. The integrated setup has facilitated access to those in need of legal aid, with 7,399 beneficiaries served, including 4,744 women (64%). Consequently, the Temeke IJC has become the first "gender justice" IJC in Africa and the second globally, dedicated to providing matrimonial, probate, domestic violence, child custody, property rights, and other justice services specifically tailored to meet the needs of women.
"Equitable administration of justice means leveling the ground and ensuring access to all stakeholders," said Professor Elisante Ole Gabriel, Chief Court Administrator. "The integrated centers have mitigated the barriers for women to access justice due to economic and social hurdles, as evidenced by the numbers who have already visited this center. Cases involving children, physically impaired persons, and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are given priority and are called first."
The Social Welfare Department, also located on the premises, provides free psychological and counseling support, benefitting 5,047 women (64%) and nearly 2,900 men as of March 2024. "This is meant to offer a safe space for communication, healing, and conflict resolution. It helps family members navigate emotions, understand perspectives, and develop coping strategies during challenging times such as divorce, custody battles, or domestic violence situations," said Judge Mnyukwa.
Access to justice in Tanzania is severely constrained for women, small businesses, and the rural poor due to various factors, including socioeconomic, cultural, political, infrastructure, and governance issues. Court processes need improvement, as indicated by the backlog and case clearance rates. The lack of public information, slow publication of court decisions, and perceptions of corruption further hinder access to justice and highlight other deficiencies within the justice system.
At the time of the project's design, the Tanzanian court system received about 200,000 cases (both filed and pending) per year in all types and levels of courts, of which only about 120,000 were decided annually (i.e., a rate of about 60%), thereby causing a perpetual increase in backlogs and compounding delays. Manual event-based systems and processes resulted in inefficient case management. For example, more than 50% of cases took 30-90 days from filing to preliminary objection, and two-thirds took 90-1,000 days to progress from pretrial hearing to trial. Two-thirds of cases took 150-1,000 days from trial to decision.
In 2015, the Government of Tanzania launched a major reform of the judiciary to align with the National Development Vision 2025. Implementation of the CCJMP began in 2016 with initial financing from the International Development Association (IDA)of $65 million, to support the necessary judicial reforms needed to create a results-oriented, citizen-centric, and accountable justice delivery system. Additional financing of $90 million was provided in 2022.
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In addition to constructing IJCs like Temeke, CCJMP has achieved important milestones such as expanding access to court services through the construction of 78 subordinate courts (18 already operational), serving over 13 million citizens, and enhancing transparency via online publication of court decisions. The project has also increased the electronic publication of court decisions from 3% in 2021 to 54% in 2024. It has reduced case processing times across different court levels, lowering the case backlog rate from 11% in 2021 to 3% in 2024. The project has also successfully implemented the integrated e-judiciary system, introduced virtual court hearing services through video conferencing, and adopted a Gender Justice Strategic Framework. As a result of all these initiatives, CCJMP has raised citizen confidence in justice services from 61% in 2016 to 88% in 2023.
Temeke, a densely populated low-income area, is among the largest districts in the Dar es Salaam region. While the majority of the center's clients are local, its integrated services also attract individuals from surrounding districts. The expression at the center's front door, "Tupo Hapa Kukufuta Machozi" ("We are here to wipe away your tears"), serves as a poignant message of encouragement.
