Court of Appeal of Tanzania

This is the highest level in the justice delivery system in Tanzania. The Court of Appeal draws its mandate from Article 117(1) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania. The Court hears appeals  on both point of law and facts for cases originating from the High Court of Tanzania and Magistrates with extended jurisdiction in exercise of their original jurisdiction or appellate and revisional jurisdiction over matters originating in the District Land and Housing Tribunals, District Courts and Courts of Resident Magistrate. The Court also hears similar appeals  from quasi judicial bodies of status equivalent to that of the High Court. It  further hears appeals  on point of law against the decision of the High Court in  matters originating from Primary Courts. The Court of Appeal also exercises jurisdiction on appeals originating from the High Court of Zanzibar except for constitutional issues arising from the interpretation of the Constitution of Zanzibar and matters arising from the Kadhi Court.

Physical address
26 Kivukoni Road Building P.O. Box 9004, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
30 judgments

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30 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
December 2023
Non-service of notice and non-joinder of necessary parties rendered the High Court proceedings a nullity; appeal nullified under revisional powers.
Civil procedure – appeal procedure – service of notice of appeal (Rule 84(1)) – non-service renders notice invalid; revisional jurisdiction – Court may nullify inferior court proceedings under s.4(2) AJA; parties – mis-joinder and non-joinder of necessary parties (Order I r.10(2) CPC) – failure to join co-vendors and auctioneer; constitutional right – denial of right to be heard (Article 13(6)(a)) renders decision a nullity.
15 December 2023
Failure to serve notice and written request for copies rendered the appeal time‑barred and it was struck out.
Civil procedure — Appeal competence — Service of notice of appeal within 14 days (Rule 84(1)) — Request for High Court proceedings and time exclusion (Rule 90(1) and (3)) — Failure to serve written request — Time‑barred appeal — Abatement on death (Rule 105(2)).
15 December 2023
14 December 2023
Applicant failed to account for delay or show arguable grounds for review; extension of time refused with costs.
* Civil procedure – extension of time – Rule 10 Court of Appeal Rules – requirement to show good cause and account for each day of delay. * Review applications – requirement to indicate arguable grounds under Rule 66(1) when seeking extension. * Delay caused by court office procedures – does not relieve applicant of duty to act promptly and account for subsequent delay.
14 December 2023
Applicant’s delay and failure to plead or diligently pursue correction of a defective certificate of delay warranted dismissal of extension application.
Civil procedure – extension of time – Rule 10 and 48(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules; requirement that grounds be pleaded in notice and affidavit; negligence and lack of due diligence not good cause; defective certificate of delay; inability to rely on grounds raised only in submissions.
14 December 2023
13 December 2023
Extension application struck out for failing to seek extension from the High Court first as required by Rule 47.
Appellate procedure – extension of time – concurrent jurisdiction of High Court and Court of Appeal – Rule 47 requires applications for extension to be made first to the High Court – Rule 45A permits a ‘second bite’ in the Court of Appeal after High Court refusal – incompetency/prematurity grounds for striking out.
13 December 2023
13 December 2023
13 December 2023
12 December 2023
Applicant failed to show good cause; illness and alleged illegality did not justify extension, application dismissed with costs.
Civil procedure – extension of time under Rule 45A and Rule 10; good cause tested by Lyamuya guidelines (account for delay, length of delay, diligence); medical evidence insufficient without showing prevention; illegality as ground for extension must be apparent on the face of the record; repetitive litigation and abuse of process.
12 December 2023
A magistrate hearing both the criminal and ensuing civil matter created a real possibility of bias, requiring retrial.
* Judicial impartiality – bias – presiding over related criminal and civil proceedings – test of a fair‑minded, informed observer (R v Gough; Porter v Magill) * Revisional powers – s.4(2) Appellate Jurisdiction Act – nullification and quashing of proceedings; remittal for retrial * Malicious prosecution – elements (malice, absence of reasonable and probable cause) and evaluation of evidence; damages assessment
12 December 2023
Apparent illegality in lower court proceedings can justify extension of time to lodge an appeal.
Civil procedure – extension of time (Rule 10) – discretionary remedy – illness and technical delay – Fortunatus Masha – illegality apparent on the record (assessors not invited to give opinions) as sufficient cause to extend time – appellate procedure (notice of appeal).
11 December 2023
An omnibus application combining single-Justice and Full Court prayers is incompetent and struck out.
Civil procedure – omnibus application – combining prayers for single Justice and Full Court – incompetence – strike out. Rules 60(1)-(2), 111(1), 45 and 10 considered; settled authorities applied.
8 December 2023
Preliminary objections on absent notice and missing certificate of delay do not bar an application for extension of time; objections overruled.
Civil procedure – preliminary objections – application for extension of time – relevance of notice of appeal and service under Rule 84(1) – annexure of notice not mandatory in extension applications – Rule 49(1) affidavit requirement – certificate of delay under Rule 90 not prerequisite to seeking extension of time.
8 December 2023
Applicant granted 14-day extension to serve respondent due to promptly remedied inadvertence; each party to bear own costs.
Extension of time – Rule 10 Court of Appeal Rules – "good cause" – inadvertence by previous advocate – prompt discovery and prompt remedial action – mandatory service of notice of appeal and request for copies (Rule 84).
5 December 2023
March 2023
Service suspension justified by complaint and police involvement; defamation not proved — High Court awards reversed.
Telecommunications/Mobile money — suspension of service — customer complaint and police involvement as justification; defamation — requirement to prove publication, exact words and speaker; re-appraisal of evidence on appeal under Rule 36.
30 March 2023
Failure to serve notice of appeal and to prove service of record request rendered the appeal incompetent and time-barred.
Civil procedure — Court of Appeal Rules 2009 — Rule 84(1) service of notice of appeal mandatory; failure to show proof of service in the record renders appeal incompetent; Rule 90(1)/(3) — 60-day time limit for instituting appeal and exclusion of time spent preparing record requires written request served on respondent; labour appeal struck out for non-compliance.
29 March 2023
29 March 2023
29 March 2023
Failure to apply in writing for High Court copies prevents time exclusion under Rule 90(1); appeal is time‑barred.
Civil procedure — Appeals — Time to institute appeal under Rule 90(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 2009 — Proviso excluding time for preparation/delivery of High Court copies — Requirement of written application within 30 days and service on respondent — Absence of application letter in record defeats exclusion — Appeal struck out as time‑barred.
28 March 2023
27 March 2023
Whether a counterclaim is deemed abandoned when omitted from an amended defence after amendment of the plaint.
Civil procedure – counterclaim – whether omission of a counterclaim from an amended written statement of defence following amendment of the plaint amounts to abandonment; appellate practice – leave to appeal – test for granting leave where arguable issues or disturbing features exist; retrial – propriety of quashing judgment for non-determination of counterclaim.
27 March 2023
27 March 2023
27 March 2023
23 March 2023
23 March 2023
22 March 2023
22 March 2023
21 March 2023