President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania…Photo/Courtesy
By Peter Mwibanda
Intellectualspost (IP)
Once seen as the last defense for citizens, courts across East Africa are now being used to entrench political control.
DAR ES SALAAM
The rule of law, once the moral compass of democracy, is under assault across East Africa.
Courts that once stood as symbols of justice now serve as instruments of political control.
Governments have perfected a subtle but dangerous art: using the judiciary to legitimize repression.
Opposition leaders face endless prosecutions, activists are charged with “cybercrime,” and judges who defy executive influence are transferred, suspended or quietly threatened.
“When the courts become political tools, justice itself becomes a performance,” says a Tanzanian legal scholar.
In Kenya, public confidence in the judiciary has waned amid claims of selective rulings and delayed justice.
In Uganda, critics say the courts have become predictable extensions of the regime.
Tanzania’s judiciary has also faced accusations of bias, particularly during election disputes.
Analysts argue this erosion of judicial independence is deliberate — a strategy to silence dissent and shield regimes from accountability.
Restoring judicial credibility, legal experts warn, will require regional solidarity among lawyers, civic groups and citizens determined to defend the final wall between democracy and dictatorship.
