High Court of Tanzania

This is the second level in the Judiciary justice delivery hierarchy. It has both appellate and original powers on civil and criminal matters. It also hears appeals from the Courts of Resident Magistrate, the District Courts, and the District Land and Housing Tribunals in exercise of their original, appellate and/or revisional jurisdiction. The High Court is divided into Zones and specialized Divisions. 

Physical address
24 Kivukoni Road, P O Box: S.L.P. 9004
62 judgments

Court registries

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62 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
May 2022
Representative land claim failed for lack of locus standi, unlisted representatives, and insufficient evidence of unpaid compensation.
Land acquisition – representative suit – competence and locus standi of administrators without letters of administration; death of plaintiff and failure to join legal representative – abatement; scope of leave for representative suits – limited to listed persons; burden of proof in compensation claims – need for valuation/quantified evidence; evidential weight of government payment records (Exhibit D2).
31 May 2022
31 May 2022
31 May 2022
30 May 2022
30 May 2022
30 May 2022
Correction of CMA proceedings does not restart the six‑week limitation to challenge an award; application struck out as time‑barred.
Labour law – Limitation – computation of six‑week period under s.91(1)(a) ELRA – date of award as starting point. Procedural rectification – correction of proceedings does not restart limitation where award date unchanged. Law of Limitation – s.19(2) exclusion for time to obtain copies not applicable to delay caused by correcting proceedings absent corrected award. Remedy – strike out for time‑bar; extension of time would have been appropriate remedy if grounds made out.
30 May 2022
27 May 2022
The appellants' challenge to the respondent's registered title fails; registration is conclusive and appeal is dismissed with costs.
Land law – registered Certificate of Right of Occupancy – conclusiveness of registration under land titles system; proof behind the register not required where register and Registrar’s records show transfer; challenge to title requires clear documentary or registrable evidence; non-joinder of numerous persons not fatal absent necessity; tribunal application form/regulations sufficient; recusal raised first on appeal not entertained; admissibility of evidence weighed against documentary registry entries.
27 May 2022
Delay by the tribunal in supplying judgment copies constituted sufficient cause to grant extension of time to appeal.
Civil procedure – Extension of time – Section 41(2) Land Disputes Courts Act – discretion and good cause; Limitation – exclusion of time spent obtaining copies – section 19(2) Law of Limitation Act; Requirement of written request for copies of judgment, decree or proceedings; Failure of tribunal to notify applicant that copies were ready as ground for extension.
27 May 2022
26 May 2022
A 60‑day default notice read with the loan agreement satisfied s127(2) Land Act, rendering the auction sale lawful.
Land Act s.127(1)–(2) – notice of default – adequacy of 60‑day notice; must be read with loan/mortgage agreement; effect on power of sale. Mortgages – enforcement – public auction sale lawfulness when contractual arrangements disclose right to sell. Contract law – binding effect of loan agreement and member's assent to consequences of default.
26 May 2022
26 May 2022
26 May 2022
25 May 2022
25 May 2022
25 May 2022
24 May 2022
24 May 2022
23 May 2022
20 May 2022
Court dismisses application to vary high bail; finds no statutory "holding charge" but upholds District Court's jurisdiction to secure attendance pending transfer.
Criminal procedure – Bail conditions – "Holding charge" pending transfer abroad – No statutory "holding charge"; extradition governed by Extradition Act; jurisdiction of local court to entertain bail pending transfer; inapplicability of s.6(1)(b) where not charged under that provision.
20 May 2022
Appellate court dismissed appeal: chain of custody and oral valuation upheld despite invalid valuation certificate.
Criminal law – unlawful possession of government trophies – proof beyond reasonable doubt. Evidence – chain of custody – broken chain may not vitiate admissibility where items cannot easily be tampered with and no prejudice shown. Evidence – admissibility of valuation certificate under Wildlife Conservation Act s.114(3) – certificate by unqualified officer has no evidential value. Sentencing – oral evidence may suffice to establish trophy value when statutory certificate is invalid. Procedure – admission of exhibit in preliminary hearing not fatal where accused admitted underlying fact.
20 May 2022
Court revised CMA award, finding termination fair (substantively and procedurally) and set aside reinstatement order.
Employment law – unfair termination – substantive fairness: existence of loss notwithstanding later recovery – negligence as valid reason for dismissal. Employment law – procedural fairness – requirement of investigation and fair disciplinary hearing; format of report not mandatory. Burden of proof – employer must establish fairness of termination (section 39 ELRA). Remedies – reinstatement vs terminal benefits where trust and responsibilities affected; court’s power to revise CMA awards.
20 May 2022
Improper recording of a child witness's promise to tell the truth vitiates trial proceedings and warrants retrial.
Evidence — Child of tender age — Section 127(2) Evidence Act — requirement that child promise to tell the truth before giving evidence — promise must be recorded in child's own words — simplified questions to test understanding — failure to comply nullifies proceedings and warrants retrial.
20 May 2022
Applicant failed to show sufficient cause or apparent illegality to obtain extension of time for a certificate on a point of law.
Civil procedure – extension of time under s.11(1) Appellate Jurisdiction Act – requirement to show sufficient cause. Grounds for extension – sickness and financial inability – need for particularised proof and explanation of delay. Illegality as ground for extension – must be apparent on the face of the record (Lyamuya principle) and not raised as a factual dispute. Failure to file counter-affidavit – factual averments in applicant's affidavit deemed uncontested but respondent may still contest points of law.
20 May 2022
Improper voir‑dire of a child witness and inadmissible police oral admission undermined the prosecution's rape conviction.
Evidence Act s.127(2) — child witness of tender age — mandatory promise to tell the truth and proper voir‑dire; Criminal Procedure Act s.57 — requirement for written cautioned statement for admissions to police; Failure to call material witnesses — adverse inference; Sufficiency of evidence in sexual offences — scrutiny and corroboration.
20 May 2022
19 May 2022
19 May 2022
19 May 2022
19 May 2022
19 May 2022
19 May 2022
19 May 2022
18 May 2022
17 May 2022
17 May 2022
17 May 2022
16 May 2022
16 May 2022
16 May 2022
16 May 2022
16 May 2022
Medical and victim evidence proved slight penetration; appellant's unnotified alibi was uncorroborated and appeal dismissed.
Criminal law – Rape – Penetration however slight sufficient (s.130(4)(a) Penal Code); medical evidence and PF3 corroboration; evidence of a child-victim (s.127(6) Evidence Act) – credibility and corroboration; alibi notice and proof requirements (s.194 Criminal Procedure Act); failure to cross-examine implies acceptance of evidence.
13 May 2022
Appeal dismissed: prosecution proved burglary and stealing; non-reading of cautioned statement not fatal where witness testified and appellant failed to cross-examine.
Criminal law – Burglary and stealing – Sufficiency of evidence – confessions and cautioned statements; non-reading of admitted documentary evidence and prejudice. Criminal procedure – Effect of failure to cross-examine – implication of acceptance. Admissibility – Allegation of torture as afterthought and failure to challenge at trial.
13 May 2022
13 May 2022
13 May 2022
Appellant's guilty plea upheld but four-year sentence set aside as manifestly harsh; appellant ordered released.
Criminal law – guilty plea – whether plea is unequivocal – conditions for valid conviction on plea of guilty. Traffic law – dangerous driving causing bodily injury – elements must be disclosed in facts read. Sentencing – minimum statutory penalty, proviso for non-grievous injury, consideration of mitigating factors; appellate interference where sentence manifestly harsh.
13 May 2022
Cautioned statement improperly admitted and visual identification alone, without early description or investigator’s evidence, failed to prove identity beyond reasonable doubt.
Criminal law – evidence – cautioned statement – trial court must inquire into voluntariness when retracted; otherwise statement is inadmissible. Evidence – identification – visual/dock identification is weakest and conviction requires watertight circumstances (lighting, observation time, prior acquaintance, immediate description). Procedure – failure to call investigator or to prove early description/arrest may attract adverse inference and undermine prosecution case.
13 May 2022
Child-witness evidence taken contrary to section 127(2) invalidated; conviction quashed and retrial ordered limited to child's testimony.
Evidence — Child witness procedure under section 127(2) Evidence Act — Where child does not understand oath, promise to tell truth must be obtained and recorded — Failure to comply invalidates child’s evidence and may vitiate conviction; appropriate remedy may be limited retrial.
13 May 2022