Abstract:
Good governance plays a vital role in enhancing transparency, accountability, and
efficiency within public institutions, particularly in the judicial sector. In Tanzania, the
judicial system faces persistent governance challenges, including limited stakeholder
engagement, delayed case processing, and perceived corruption, which weaken public trust
and access to justice. This study examined the role of stakeholder participation in good
governance for improving public service delivery in the judicial system of the Tabora Zone,
Tanzania, focusing on four key dimensions: active community participation, stakeholder
collaboration, feedback mechanisms, and public forums. Guided by Agency Theory, the
study adopted a pragmatism research philosophy and employed a mixed-methods approach
with a descriptive survey design to capture both quantitative and qualitative insights. The
study involved 109 respondents, including judicial officers, administrative staff, and court
users, selected through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data were
collected using structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and analyzed
using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis). The findings
revealed that feedback mechanisms (Mean = 4.31) and stakeholder collaboration (Mean =
4.03) significantly enhance the quality, efficiency, and satisfaction of judicial services.
Active community participation (Mean = 3.46) moderately contributes to service timeliness
and quality, while structured public forums (Mean = 3.16) remain underutilized and
inconsistent. The study concludes that effective stakeholder participation fosters
transparency, accountability, and citizen trust, thereby improving public service delivery in
the Tabora Zone’s judicial system. It recommends institutionalizing feedback systems,
strengthening collaboration, expanding community engagement, and establishing
consistent public forums to promote good governance and enhance judicial service
outcomes
