Many have adduced a plethora of reasons for why that is so. Some of the reasons include some lacuna in our procedural laws. This has led to the enactment of the 2015 Administration of Criminal Justice Act. While this is expedient as it will cure some of the defects, i intend to take a practical approach to the topic. Having worked directly under a very diligent Director of Public Prosecutions, i am faced daily with these problems. First is the disconnect between the police and the ministry of justice. It is common knowledge within legal circles and it should also be in the public domain that the police is saddled with the responsibility of investigating crimes and in the end forward the case diary to the ministry of justice for legal advice and subsequent prosecution. In the course of this, a lot of problems arise. It is often the case that while investigating the crime, the police detain suspects arbitrarily for periods beyond the constitutional limit. Where this is the case, very smart lawyers whose clients are being detained hurriedly rush to court to enforce the fundamental rights of their clients, after which the suspects absconds thus leading to the stalling of his prosecution. Furthermore, the tradition is that when a crime is reported, the police puts up a team of investigators to dig up facts and evidence which will aid the prosecution of that crime. These investigations are led by the Investigating Police Officer, IPO. Now, the IPO is an integral part of the prosecution cases investigated by them. The statements of the accused persons are tendered in evidence through the IPOs who took the statement. This underscores their importance to the successful prosecution of criminal cases. In the midst of criminal trials, the Police authority in it’s ‘wisdom’ transfers the IPO to very far jurisdictions which delays the conclusion of criminal trials. Whether or not these transfers are intentional to stall trials, it smacks of corruption and should be stopped. Another factor affecting speedy criminal justice administration is the judiciary. This can be categorized into voluntary and involuntary factors. The level of corruption among court officers is alarming. At various occasions we have seen processes getting lost from case files in courts. This is mostly as a result of collusion by the Court Clerks, Registrars and the accused persons. This is most glaring when bail has been granted the accused person and he is no longer in custody. This collusion is mostly to aid them abscond from their trial. Also, the elevation of judges trying criminal cases also adversely affect speedy trials. This is because even when both the prosecution and the defence have closed their cases before the elevation of the trial judge, the matter begins de novo before a new judge. Finally, in as much as I will love to deny it, the sad truth is that legal practitioners both in the official and private bar also contribute greatly towards the denial of justice. Instances have arisen where prosecuting counsel have acted deliberately to stall trials or even refuse to call in vital pieces of evidence which will secure conviction of the accused persons. This act and other uncomplimentary acts by legal practitioners bring the legal profession into disrepute and must be arrested immediately. In conclusion, while this article might not be exhaustive in listing practical reasons for delay in criminal justice administration, efforts must be put into dealing with these clogs in the wheel of justice. We as legal practitioners must do well to bring sanctity to the judicial system and make sure that the aphorism that ‘the judiciary is the last hope of the common man’ remains sacrosanct. Eric Rotgak Goler Esq]]>