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.
4 judgments

Court registries

  • Filters
  • Judges
  • Alphabet
Sort by:
4 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
September 1992
Appellant's appeal dismissed: circumstantial and handwriting evidence established murder beyond reasonable doubt.
* Criminal law – Murder – circumstantial evidence – whether a chain of circumstantial facts excluded reasonable hypotheses of innocence and sustained conviction. * Evidence – handwriting and physical exhibits – probative value in linking accused to scene. * Criminal law – possession of weapon/implements and conduct before and after disappearance as evidence of intent/premeditation. * Appeal – evaluation of trial judge’s inferences from circumstantial matrix.
7 September 1992
August 1992
Self-defence rejected; sudden chest stabbing of defenceless woman amounted to murder, appeal dismissed.
Criminal law – murder v. manslaughter – self-defence plea – credibility of sole eyewitness – appellate assessment of trial judge’s credibility findings.
31 August 1992
May 1992

Evidence - Circumstantial - Whether and when may ground a conviction

28 May 1992
February 1992
Appellate court upheld murder conviction despite finding improper reliance on a conflicting co‑accused confession and ordering an inquiry.
* Criminal law – murder – reliance on child eyewitness evidence – necessity and adequacy of corroboration. * Criminal procedure – use of co‑accused’s confession – conflicting statements and cogency required before implicating another. * Safety of conviction where witness accounts and confession evidence are inconsistent. * Duty to investigate unexplained death of co‑accused where record is silent.
3 February 1992