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
1,024 judgments

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1,024 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
November 2025
7 November 2025
7 November 2025
October 2025
28 October 2025
24 October 2025
24 October 2025
22 October 2025
22 October 2025
Denial of notice and right to be heard justified setting aside dismissal and restoring the applicant's proceedings.
Restoration of proceedings – Setting aside dismissal for want of prosecution – Right to be heard – Failure of opposing counsel to notify applicant of hearing by written submissions – Order IX r.3; Sections 78(e) and 105 CPC.
21 October 2025
Whether four plots registered in a third party's name constituted jointly acquired matrimonial property subject to division.
Matrimonial property — burden of proof for joint acquisition (Evidence Act s.110) — proof by documentary evidence; Ownership registered in a third party’s name — courts should not determine third-party title in matrimonial division; Re-evaluation of facts on first appeal; Inconsistency in pleadings undermining claimant's case.
20 October 2025
Resealing of Zanzibar letters of administration granted effect in Tanzania Mainland after compliance with PAEA and Probate Rules.
Probate — Resealing of foreign (Zanzibar) grant under PAEA s.95 and Probate Rules — compliance with notice (Rule 79) and inventory requirements — no caveat/uncontested application — endorsement under Rule 103.
20 October 2025
20 October 2025
20 October 2025
17 October 2025
16 October 2025
Revocation application dismissed as time‑barred under the Administrator General Act's mandatory six‑month limitation.
* Probate law – revocation of Administrator‑General's letters of administration – six‑month limitation under section 18 mandatory and substantive. * Limitation law – statutory limitation periods promote finality; not mere procedural technicalities. * Probate and Administration Act – court's discretion under section 33 to appoint suitable administrator, but discretion constrained by statutory limits. * Procedural fairness versus express statutory time limits – inability to extend or ignore statutory deadline.
15 October 2025
Delay and estoppel bar revocation of administrators’ grant; section 107(5) permits inspection and objection, not prior consultation.
Probate law – Revocation of letters of administration (s.49 PAEA) – False presentation of material facts – Requirements for petition (s.56 PAEA; Rule 71(1)) – Inventory and accounts (s.107(1) and (5) PAEA) – Consultation vs inspection/objection – Delay and estoppel as bar to relief – Proper forum to contest included property or distribution.
15 October 2025
13 October 2025
Non-monetary contributions warrant reconsideration of matrimonial property shares and increased child maintenance.

Family law – Matrimonial property – Section 114(1) and (2)(b) of the Marriage Act – non-monetary contribution (supervision, domestic work) counts in division; inclusion of assets acquired during marriage (including vehicle) – maintenance – adequacy of award and consideration of payer’s pension and rental income.

13 October 2025
13 October 2025
9 October 2025
Court granted probate after finding statutory probate rules complied with, appointing joint executors with creditor notice and Mirathi account orders.
* Probate law – Grant of probate – compliance with PAEA s.55, s.56 and s.57 and Probate Rules 33, 63, 73 and 76 – production of Will and death certificate – publication and caveat lapse. * Executors – appointment of joint executors named in Will – duties include establishing Trust Fund, publishing 60-day creditors' notice. * Estate funds – requirement to open special Mirathi account under Rule 105A.
9 October 2025
Misidentification of parties' legal capacity in probate proceedings rendered the appeal and related decisions defective and required quashing and remittal.

* Probate law – capacity of parties – parties must be correctly cited in their legal capacity (personal legal representatives) in probate proceedings. * Civil procedure – competence of appeal – misidentification of parties' legal status can render an appeal and subsequent appellate proceedings incompetent. * Remedy – quashing and setting aside defective proceedings and remitting the matter for rehearing before another magistrate; expedite probate matters. * Jurisdiction – appellate court’s jurisdiction affected by defects in the trial record concerning parties’ capacities.

9 October 2025
Domestic and business contributions justified revising a 50/50 property split to 55/45 in favour of the appellant.

Matrimonial property – division of assets – s.114(2)(b) Law of Marriage Act – contributions in money, property or work – domestic (wifely) duties as indirect contribution – participation in business as direct contribution – weighing monetary against non-monetary contributions – appellate review.

8 October 2025
Parties settled matrimonial property dispute by consent judgment allocating ownership and making the settlement enforceable.
Matrimonial property — Consent judgment — Deed of settlement recorded by court — Allocation of ownership and delivery of title deeds — Appeals marked settled and settlement enforceable.
2 October 2025
September 2025
Revocation refused where alleged creditor claims were disputed and the deceased's liability remains unadjudicated.
* Probate law – Revocation of grant under s.49(1)(e) PAEA – executor’s duty to exhibit a full and true inventory and account (s.107, s.108). * Limitation – Law of Limitation Act para 21 does not apply to revocation proceedings prior to closure of the probate file. * Civil procedure/substantive law – Probate court cannot conclusively determine disputed substantive liabilities; such claims require suit in a competent court. * Remedy – Alleged creditor must obtain declaratory or monetary judgment against the alleged principal debtor/estate before probate inclusion.
30 September 2025
30 September 2025
Application dismissed as abuse of process and incompetent due to prior withdrawals without leave and improper joinder of parties.

Civil procedure – Abuse of court process: withdrawal without leave to refile bars subsequent refiling; Competence of proceedings – joinder of parties: cannot add parties not in original decision without leave; Probate jurisdiction – impeachment of death certificate not determined where preliminary objections dispose matter.

30 September 2025
Registered land not shown to be transferred to the parties is not matrimonial property; separation defeats maintenance entitlement.

Family law — Matrimonial property — Registered land — Ownership of registered land must be proved by documentary evidence — Alleged gift of registered plot requires proof — Assets acquired before marriage or after separation not matrimonial — Maintenance ceases where spouses live separately.

30 September 2025
24 September 2025
19 September 2025
19 September 2025
15 September 2025
Failure to tender or upload mandatory probate documents, including affidavit of death, renders a petition for administration fatally defective.
* Probate law – Proof of death – Rule 63(3) permits an affidavit in lieu of a death certificate where the certificate is unavailable. * Evidence – Documents must be produced, tendered and admitted; an un-tendered document cannot be relied upon. * Probate procedure – Rule 39 mandatory supporting documents for a petition for letters of administration; failure to comply renders the petition fatally defective and proceedings vitiated.
12 September 2025
Failure to tender mandatory probate documents (including affidavit in lieu) renders a petition incompetent and is struck out.
Probate law – Proof of death – Rule 63(3) affidavit in lieu of death certificate – Requirement to tender and admit documentary evidence – Rule 39 mandatory supporting documents – e-CMS filing insufficiency – Competence of petition – Striking out defective probate proceedings.
12 September 2025
Appeal allowed: failure to hear a lodged preliminary objection violated right to be heard, vitiating subsequent proceedings.
* Civil procedure – preliminary objection – requirement to determine a preliminary objection before proceeding to merits – failure to do so vitiates proceedings. * Constitutional law – right to be heard (Article 13(6)(a)) – procedural breach that goes to root of case. * Court record – sanctity and presumption that record reflects what transpired; absence of record of ruling fatal to respondent's assertion. * Revision vs appeal – revisional jurisdiction available where errors on face of record, but unaddressed preliminary objection dispositive.
12 September 2025
11 September 2025
Extension of time to appeal granted where applicant demonstrated diligence and fully accounted for a short delay after appeal was struck out.
Civil procedure – Extension of time – Sufficient cause – Diligence in prosecuting appeal – Delay not inordinate – Absence of opposition.
10 September 2025
Applicant’s unaccounted delay and insufficient reasons justified refusal to extend time to set aside dismissal.
Extension of time – discretion to grant – requirement to show sufficient cause and account for each day of delay – dismissal for want of prosecution – abuse of court process – following up proceedings before Qadhi’s Court not sufficient.
9 September 2025
A probate petition was struck out due to lack of jurisdiction arising from misrepresentation of the deceased's domicile.
Probate – determination of domicile – jurisdiction – misrepresentation of residence in probate petitions – effect on jurisdiction – suitability to be appointed as administrator.
4 September 2025
3 September 2025
Technical delay from withdrawal of an earlier appeal justified extension of time to appeal in a probate matter.
Extension of time – Application for leave to appeal out of time – Technical delay due to withdrawal of earlier appeal – Sufficient cause for extension – Threshold for material illegality as ground for extension of time – Probate matters – Judicial discretion in extension applications.
1 September 2025
August 2025
Alleged illegality in property division was not apparent on the record and did not justify extension of time to appeal.
Civil Procedure – Extension of time – Sufficient cause – Allegation of illegality – Illegality apparent on the face of the record – Matrimonial property division – Judicial discretion under section 14(1) Law of Limitation Act.
29 August 2025
Probate court administers assets in deceased’s sole name; Administrator must correct rounding errors and account for funeral liabilities.
* Probate law – Jurisdiction of probate court to administer assets registered in deceased’s sole name – distinction from matrimonial property proceedings. * Succession – application of Indian Succession Act proportions (1/3 and 2/3) and obligation to compute shares accurately. * Probate procedure – Probate Rules require disclosure of funeral liabilities and all payments; Administrator’s duty to account fully. * Accounting – rounding discrepancies and small unaccounted fractions are material if they prejudice heirs and must be corrected.
29 August 2025
Child maintenance and education contributions must be based on a proper assessment of each parent's financial means.

Child law – Maintenance order – Assessment of means – Proper inquiry and evidence required – Shared parental responsibility.

29 August 2025
29 August 2025
High Court: district court wrongly dismissed probate appeal as a revocation application; matter remitted for fresh hearing.
Probate and succession law – closure of probate proceedings – effect on rights of appeal; Procedural law – parties bound by pleadings – courts cannot decide extraneous matters; Appellate procedure – characterisation of appeal vs application for revocation; Jurisdiction – proceedings conducted after superior court directive and their potential nullity; Remedy – remit for rehearing by another magistrate.
29 August 2025
The court dismissed an application for extension of time to appeal a child custody order for lack of sufficient cause.

Civil procedure – Application for extension of time – Custody disputes – Good cause for delay – Proof of illness – Illegality as a ground for extension – Obligation to account for each day of delay.

29 August 2025
26 August 2025
Administrator's admitted inability and failure to distribute estate justified revocation and appointment of a successor under section 49.
Probate and Administration Act – revocation of grants – grant rendered 'useless and inoperative' (s49(1)(d)) – removal and succession of administrator (s49(2)) – duty to account and report on assets (s49(3)) – formalities for issuance of letters (Probate Rules).
26 August 2025
An appeal against a magistrate's recusal was held interlocutory and incompetent; the file was remitted for trial.
* Civil procedure – interlocutory orders – test is whether the order finally disposes of parties' rights; recusal orders that do not determine substantive relief are interlocutory. * Matrimonial proceedings – applicability of Civil Procedure Code – section 80(3) Law of Marriage Act does not permit piecemeal appeals against non-final orders. * Appeals – competence – preliminary objection for incompetence of appeal founded on interlocutory nature of impugned order sustained. * Judicial conduct – recusal – recusal alone, where it does not decide rights, does not render an order appealable.
25 August 2025