The Minority in Parliament has strongly opposed the recently passed bill establishing district and regional tribunals, warning that the legislation risks reopening painful chapters in the country’s judicial history.
Minority Leader Osahen Afenyo-Markin emphasised that the Minority is opposed to the bill as it will ignite bad memories of the past.
While acknowledging that Ghana’s Constitution provides for public tribunals, he argued that recommendations made by the Constitutional Review Committee chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh favoured replacing tribunals with ordinary courts.
“We have walked this dangerous road before. In the 1980s, Public Tribunals and Community Tribunals were accused of grave human rights abuses. They earned a name, and not a kind one: ‘kangaroo courts’,” the Minority Leader recalled.
The Minority Leader warned that the legislation could undermine public confidence in the justice system and appealed to President John Dramani Mahama not to assent to the bill.
Parliament approved the Public Tribunal Bill, 2026, creating a formal legal structure for tribunals across Ghana, even as the Trades Union Congress (TUC) voiced strong objections and the Minority caucus staged a boycott of the proceedings.
The legislation sets out the establishment, powers, membership and functioning of the tribunals in line with the Constitution. It also creates a Tribunal Oversight Committee to supervise their work.
Supporters say the law will widen access to justice, safeguard citizens’ rights, uphold fair process and speed up the resolution of cases that need specialised or urgent handling.
The Bill was laid before the House on June 26, 2026, by Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, acting for Attorney-General and Justice Minister Dr Dominic Ayine.
