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
25 judgments
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Results. 25 judgments found.

25 judgments
December 2016
Reported
The appellant cannot raise an untried factual limitation defence on appeal; the tribunal erred by relying on unadmitted documents, case remitted for additional evidence.
  • Civil procedure — Revision — High Court may nullify proceedings and order additional evidence and re‑hearing where material documents were not properly admitted
  • Evidence — Documents
    • — reliance on unadmitted exhibits is substantial procedural error
    • — tribunal improperly relied on documents not tendered or admitted in open court
  • Land law — Limitation — accrual of cause of action as factual issue — a party may not raise for the first time on appeal a factual limitation defence not pleaded or tried
2 December 2016
Conviction for statutory rape upheld; sentence reduced under s.131(2) Penal Code because appellant was under 18 and a repeat offender.
  • Criminal law — Credibility
    • — afterthought allegations of fabrication
    • — appellate reduction of an excessive sentence
  • Criminal law — Rape (statutory rape) — proof of victim’s age and penetration — victim and medical evidence as best evidence
1 December 2016
November 2016
Reported
Appeal not time‑barred; appellants liable for unpaid purchase price despite theft; certain interest awards quashed.
  • Limitation law — Frustration of contract — theft in buyer’s possession does not automatically discharge unpaid price
  • Limitation law — Interest
    • — post‑judgment interest awarded at court rate
    • — pre‑suit interest for loss of business requires specific pleading and proof
  • Limitation law — Limitation of actions — Appeal from District Court exercising original jurisdiction
  • Limitation law — Sale of Goods — buyer who accepts goods before full payment becomes baileee for unpaid price and bears risk of loss
30 November 2016
Buyer who accepted goods unpaid remains liable for the price; pre‑suit interest must be pleaded and proved.
  • Limitation law — Limitation of actions — Appeals from District Court in original jurisdiction — 45 days under Law of Limitation Act
  • Contract law — Sale of goods — buyer who accepts goods and fails to pay is liable — Buyer accepting goods unpaid remains liable for price where goods stolen in buyer's custody
  • Damages — Interest and costs — Pre-judgment interest as substantive damage — Must be pleaded and, where required, proved; post-judgment interest at court rate (12%)
30 November 2016
Reported
A claimant may not sue for a deceased’s land unless administrator; Ward Tribunal lacks jurisdiction above TShs.3,000,000 and may not take a percentage of damages.
  • Civil procedure — Awards and remedies — Courts/tribunals cannot lawfully order a percentage of damages to be paid to the court or tribunal
  • Land law
    • — locus standi
    • — pecuniary jurisdiction — Ward Tribunal limited to disputes valued at TShs. 3,000,000
29 November 2016
Delayed payment of compensation attracts statutory 6% interest; later directive rates not applicable to earlier valuations.
  • Land law — Land acquisition — valuation date governs applicable rates
    • — delay in payment of compensation attracts statutory interest under section 15 Land Acquisition Act (6% per annum)
    • — non-retroactivity of later Government directive
    • — post-valuation development does not increase compensation entitlement
24 November 2016
Reported
A qualified advocate’s use of a business name does not invalidate court documents if the advocate drew them.
  • Legal profession — Advocates act — business/trade name by qualified advocate
    • — George Humba
    • — omission of advocate’s name not rendering document incompetent
17 November 2016
An advocate’s use of a business name does not invalidate documents if a qualified advocate prepared them.
  • Legal profession — Advocates act (ss.39, 43, 44) — business/trade name used by a registered advocate
    • — defect curable
    • — omission of advocate’s name an irregularity, not fatal
    • — prohibition targets unqualified persons preparing instruments for gain
17 November 2016
Court upheld mother's custody and affirmed division of assets acquired in cohabitation or substantially improved during marriage.
  • Evidence — Admission of additional evidence on appeal
  • Family law
    • — custody — presumption — presumption not rebutted
    • — Matrimonial property — assets acquired during cohabitation divisible under s160(2). Pre-marriage assets substantially improved during marriage treated as matrimonial under s114(3). Documentary title in one party’s name not conclusive of ownership — beneficial interest may exist. Appellate deference to concurrent findings of fact
15 November 2016
The respondent was correctly awarded custody and cohabitation/improvements rendered disputed properties divisible as matrimonial assets.
  • Family law
    • — custody — presumption — presumption not rebutted
    • — Matrimonial property — assets acquired during cohabitation and assets owned before marriage but substantially improved during marriage
15 November 2016
Appeal allowed: demolition claim construed as land dispute, District Court lacked jurisdiction, suit dismissed on revision.
  • Civil procedure — interlocutory orders
    • — appeals permissible where order implicates jurisdiction or results in illegality/vexatious proceedings
    • — Bozson test
  • Civil procedure — Pleadings — cause of action and reliefs read together to determine nature of dispute
  • Jurisdiction — Land dispute
3 November 2016
A claim for demolition and loss of a building is a land dispute, ousting District Court jurisdiction.
  • Civil procedure
    • — appealability of interlocutory orders — Bozson test and exception where jurisdictional irregularity or injustice arises
    • — Pleadings
3 November 2016
A claim for demolition and loss of a building can constitute a land dispute, ousting District Court jurisdiction under the Land Disputes Courts Act.
  • Land law
    • — interlocutory appeal exception where jurisdictional irregularity or injustice
    • — Jurisdiction
    • — revisional power to quash proceedings
3 November 2016
October 2016
Appellant lacked locus standi; Ward Tribunal lacked jurisdiction; awarding 10% of damages to the Tribunal was unlawful.
  • Administrative law — Ward tribunal — pecuniary jurisdiction
    • — limited to TSh 3,000,000
    • — pleaded value governs jurisdiction
  • Land law — locus standi
29 October 2016
Maternal custody presumption upheld; assets acquired during cohabitation or substantially improved in marriage are matrimonial and divisible.
  • Family law — custody presumption for children under seven
  • Family law — Matrimonial property
    • — assets acquired during cohabitation or substantially improved in marriage divisible
    • — documentary title not decisive of beneficial interest
15 October 2016
September 2016
A defective memorandum of appeal lacking required content may be struck out; appellant may reinstitute subject to limitation.
  • Civil procedure — Appeal — Memorandum of appeal — Form and content
22 September 2016
A defective memorandum of appeal may be rejected and the appeal struck out; re‑filing permitted subject to limitation.
  • Appellate practice — Appeal procedure — Memorandum of Appeal
22 September 2016
July 2016
Reported
Whether the applicant’s expired right of occupancy reverted to the President and whether the compensation award was lawful.
  • Land law
    • — Equity — reception clause and equitable maxims used to preserve a mistakenly conferred but unchallenged benefit
    • — Evidence — admissibility and weight of certified copy of title where original unavailable
    • — expiry of right of occupancy — reversion of superior title to the President
    • — Right of occupancy — renewal and compensation — limits on entitlement
28 July 2016
Reported
Welfare presumption favors the mother for a child under seven; assets acquired/cohabited or improved during marriage are divisible.
  • Appellate practice — Appellate review — deference to concurrent findings of fact by lower courts
  • Family law — custody
    • — presumption
    • — rebuttal
  • Family law — Matrimonial property — assets acquired during marriage or cohabitation and assets substantially improved during marriage are divisible
  • Land law — Registered title not decisive
    • — beneficial interest may arise from spousal contributions
    • — non-financial contributions recognised
19 July 2016
June 2016
A prior adverse decision by a judge and a litigant's lack of confidence alone do not justify recusal.
  • Civil procedure — Judicial recusal
    • — application for leave heard by judge who decided underlying case
    • — sufficiency of endorsements
  • Civil procedure — recusal test from Laurian Lugarabamu
    • — bad blood, close relationship, interest
    • — mere prior adverse decision or apprehension of bias insufficient for disqualification
8 June 2016
The appeal was dismissed: the applicant failed to prove procedural irregularities, incorrect measurements or inadequate compensation.
  • Land law
    • — Compensation — burden on claimant to prove market value and to produce counter-valuation or prove incorrect measurements
    • — Evidence — admissibility and timing of objections to valuation reports and village minutes
    • — Land acquisition — statutory notice and publication requirements — substance of notice through village meetings may satisfy safeguards
7 June 2016
Appellants failed to prove procedural defects or under-valuation in land acquisition; appeal dismissed with costs.
  • Evidence
    • — admissibility of village minutes and valuation report
    • — Burden of proof
    • — objection timing
  • Land law — Land Acquisition Act — statutory notice and publication requirements — village meetings and newspaper gazetteing as compliance
  • Tort — Compensation
    • — assessment by market value under Land
    • — burden on owner to produce counter-valuation or sale evidence
7 June 2016
February 2016
Reported
Application to revoke probate struck out for being filed in the wrong court; limitation is a jurisdictional issue.
  • Civil procedure — Procedure — point of limitation may be raised at any time and court may raise it suo motu
  • Limitation law — Limitation — Item 21 Part III, Law of Limitation Act (60 days) — time-bar as jurisdictional issue
  • Probate law — Revocation of letters of administration — proper forum for challenges to grants made by a Primary Court
29 February 2016
Application to revoke letters of administration struck out for being filed in the wrong court; Primary Court must first assess limitation.
  • Probate law
    • — limitation — Item 21 Part III Law of Limitation Act (60 days) — time‑bar is jurisdictional and may be raised at any time
    • — Probate — Revocation of letters of administration — Proper forum for revocation — Primary Court jurisdiction where letters were granted
    • — Procedural law — Wrong forum — striking out and costs
29 February 2016
Revocation of Primary Court letters must be sought in that Primary Court and within the limitation period.
  • Civil procedure — Procedure
    • — filing in the wrong court leads to striking out
    • — Primary Court to first determine time-bar
  • Jurisdiction — time limitation is a jurisdictional point and may be raised at any stage
  • Limitation law — Limitation — applications
  • Probate law — Revocation of letters of administration — proper forum is the court that granted the letters (Primary Court)
29 February 2016