The World Bank identified judiciary among institutions which ran down during centralized governance. The Bank also expressed the need for and willingness to take part in rebuilding these institutions so that they could effectively regulate competing political and economic interests during political pluralism and the free market systems, preserve the rule of law and protect human rights. This study traces the changing role of the judiciary in Tanzania (from being marginal for more than twenty years to becoming central during political pluralism and market economy)and characterizes what has been done by the judiciary as damage limitation. The study notes that in order for these reform initiatives to be effective, public indignation with law and legal institutions need to be recognised and addressed. Such comprehension calls for constructive public participation in legal reform.
