Justice in the Shadow of Marble: As Tanzania Builds Big, the Real Test Lies Within

By Adonis Byemelwa

On April 5th, 2025, the University of Dar es Salaam was braced for what many believed would be a historic moment: a symposium featuring Tanzania’s brightest minds to reflect on Africa’s future in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping withdrawal of aid to developing countries, including Tanzania.

The event, highly publicized and set to include intellectual powerhouses such as Professors Issa Shivji, Anna Tibaijuka, Rwekaza Mukandala, and Bonaventure Rutinwa, promised to spark critical debate on Africa's geopolitical positioning. But just as anticipation reached its peak, the national narrative shifted.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s inauguration of a gleaming new judiciary headquarters in Dodoma took over the spotlight. Political and security organs reoriented national focus, sidelining the university discourse entirely.

Every major news outlet pivoted, giving full attention to the state ceremony. The symposium vanished from headlines. Yet what happened in Dodoma was undeniably monumental in its own right.
Tanzania’s judiciary finally got a home to call its own—a landmark event after 104 years of operating without a central headquarters.

The Judiciary Square, built by China Railway Jianchang Engineering (CRJE) East Africa Ltd., now stands as a symbol of legal transformation.

The nine-story building sprawls across 63,244 square meters and integrates modern AI services, guiding robots, and even a helipad. Housing the High Court, Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court, it brings together the highest arms of judicial authority under one roof.

President Samia, speaking at the inauguration, expressed deep pride in what she described as one of the most transformative developments in the country's legal sector. She emphasized that the investment—costing around TZS 185.4 billion—signals the government’s commitment to ensuring justice is not only served but also accessible and efficient.

“Today, we’ve written another major chapter in the history of Tanzania’s judiciary. What we’re seeing is a leap far beyond what was promised in our national development vision and party manifesto,” she remarked, visibly impressed by the building's cutting-edge Judiciary Situation Room, reportedly the second-largest of its kind in the world.

The building is part of a wider national effort to modernize the justice system. Alongside the new headquarters, the government also unveiled the Office of the Judicial Service Commission and 48 residential houses for judges. It’s a comprehensive package aimed not just at infrastructure but also institutional morale.

One figure who’s been quietly celebrated behind the scenes is former Dodoma City Director Godwin E. Kunambi, whose early push for this project laid the foundation for what stands today. According to insiders, Kunambi made a bold plea to the late President John Magufuli, urging him to greenlight the project swiftly or risk public backlash and administrative fallout. His assertiveness is now seen as catalytic in bringing the judiciary’s dream into reality.

Professor Elisante Gabriel has commended President Samia’s vision, saying the new infrastructure is more than a structure—it’s a statement. A commitment to the rule of law. A declaration that Tanzania’s justice system is ready to evolve.

Still, not everyone is convinced that a shiny building tells the whole story professor of literature from the University of St. Olaf in the U.S. offered a sobering reminder: “A courtroom under a tree with real justice is worth more than any skyscraper if justice inside it is compromised.”

Meanwhile, local governance advocate Bubwerwa Kaiza expressed concern that the judiciary still faces interference from the executive branch, arguing that without independence, the architecture becomes symbolic, not functional. "The integrity of justice in Tanzania is not about brick and mortar," he said, "it’s about whether the law is applied equally and fairly."

That contrast—the grandeur of the building versus the reality on the ground—adds complexity to the conversation. While the government’s investment in legal infrastructure is commendable, what happens within its walls will determine its true value.

What began as a day of intellectual exchange about Africa’s future under U.S. aid cuts ended with Tanzania marking a domestic milestone. The symposium may have been muted, but the questions it posed about autonomy, justice, and governance linger, now echoing louder within the marble halls of Judiciary Square.

Perhaps that’s the point: buildings rise, aid falls, but the need for justice—real, transparent justice—never goes out of style.
The inauguration of Tanzania’s Judiciary Square in Dodoma is, without a doubt, a milestone in the country’s legal journey. It's ambitious, symbolic, and structurally stunning. The high-tech features, the sprawling square footage, the architectural sheen—it all reads like a statement of intent. A declaration that Tanzania is stepping into a new legal era. And yet, there's a growing undercurrent of reflection, even skepticism, from citizens and scholars alike.

The contrast between the imposing exterior and the daily realities of justice in Tanzania hasn’t gone unnoticed. Critics argue that you can’t pour concrete over systemic issues. The justice system, they say, is still far too vulnerable to political influence and institutional inertia. What good is a smart building if it doesn’t translate into smarter justice?

Others draw attention to how prestige projects can sometimes overshadow the slow, unglamorous work of actual reform. Legal independence isn’t something you build with cranes and steel. It’s shaped in courtrooms, in fair rulings, in how the weakest in society are treated when they stand before the law. And that doesn't always require grand architecture.

Even when we look abroad—to the austere beauty of the Supreme Court of the United States, the sleek efficiency of Singapore's Judiciary Complex, or the minimalist elegance of Norway's Oslo Courthouse—what makes them respected isn’t just their design.

It’s what happens inside. It’s the trust they've earned over time. Their architectural brilliance complements, rather than conceals, the functionality and fairness of the systems they house.

Tanzania’s Judiciary Square may very well belong on that list someday. But to do so, it must stand not only as a symbol but as a space where justice is lived and felt by every citizen—rural or urban, rich or poor. Because buildings don’t deliver justice. People do. Systems do. Courage does. In the end, what defines a judiciary isn’t the height of its walls or the glint of its glass but the integrity of its actions. So yes, let the buildings rise—but let justice rise with them.