james seitara vs republic 1983 tzhc 62 24 october 1983

APPELLATE JURISDICTION HIGH COURT CPJtailAL APPEAL NO. 235 OP 1982 (0FtICINAL C2IT1INAL CASE N O / 70 OF 1982 OP THE DISTRICT COUTH OF MV/ANZA DISTKICT AT MV/ANZA - BEFORE E . K. MJTAKI E q S .’, DISTRICT t-t/^ISTRATI JAMES S3i'IEAHA. : : : : : : : t : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : A P P 'FT.T / 1JT versu s THE HEHJBLIC : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : j RESPONDED

J U D G E MENT MFA LILA fJ , The a p p e lla n t JAMES SELTL’AiiA. was th e 2nd a ccu s e d a t th e t r i a l i n th e d i s t r i c t c o u r t Mwenza# He was ch arged a lo n g w ith f o u r o t h e r a ccu se d p e rs o n s w ith t h e o f f e n c e o f shop b r e a k in g and s t e a li n g c o n t r a r y to s e c t i o n 296 o f th e P enal O odcc The a p p e lla n t a l o n g ~ w i t h " ‘ t h e 1 s t and 3 rd a ccu sed p e rs o n s w ore c o n v ic t e d as ch arged and s e n te n ce d t o f i v e y e a rs im prisonm ent u n ^ er th e Mmirmm Se: fe n c e s A ct 197 2 ‘“#: The 4th and 5 th a ccu s e d p e rso n s w ere a c q u i t t e d f I t h in k on th e ev id u n c^ on r e c o r d th e 4th a ccu se d sh ou ld n ot have been a cq u itte d '# However th e a p p e lla n t a lo n e a p p ea led a g a in s t b o th h i s c o n v i c t i o n and sen ten ce a rg u in g t h a t he sh ou ld n ot h a ve b een " c o n v ic t e d on th e e v id e n c e o f an a c c o m p lic e th a t i s t o sa y A ccu sed and w ith reg a rd t o th e se n te n ce h o s a id th a t t h e p r o p e r t y s t o l e n was n o t p u b lic p r o p e r t y so he s h o u ld n o t have b een se n te n ce d u n der th e Minimum S^ntC-nccs A ct and th a t i n any c a s e th e s e n t e n c e o f 5 y . a r s was t o o h a rsh * The 1 s t , 2nd and 3 rd a ccu s e d p erson s w ere e l l employed a s t a i l

o r s b y t h e com p la in a n t one AMERIA MBEKENGA (R7 l ) , who owned a t a i l o r i n g sh op a t Kirumba Stadium , T he 1 s t a ccu s e d A lp h o n c e A l e l a was so to speak th e forem an f o r he w as r e s p o n s ib l e f o r th e s e c u r i t y o f th e shop and he k ep t th e k ey t h e r e o f# On 6 /2 /8 2 when he r e p o r t e d f o r d u ty a t t h e sh op , he fou n d th a t th e p a d lo ck had be«..n tem pered w ith and i n h i e own w o rd s , when th e to u ch e d th e d c6 r h e fou n d th a t i t hod been brok en ^nd when h e ch eck ed 'i n s i d e he fou n d th a t t e n h ea ds o f sew ing in'-chinos had been s t o l o n * He r a is e d an .alarm and went 'to re*port to h i s em p loyer who d i r e c t e d him to g o t o th e P o l ic e S t a t io n and make a fo rm a l r e p o r t about t h e b re a k in g s T hroughout th a t d ry th e a p p e lla n t and h i s c o l l . a g u e thvj 3rd a ccu se d d id not a ppea r a t t h e i r p la c e o f w o rk , th e com p la in a n t t h e r e f o r e s t r o n g ly s u sp e cte d them and askL<l t h e 1 s t a ccu sed t o t r a c e them a t t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e p l^ c s o f r e s i d e n c e . Meanwhile d u rin g th e n i $ i t on 7 /2 /8 2 som ething was ta k in g p la c e a t Igoma on t h e o u t s k i r t s o f Mwanza tow n . L u rin g t h r t n ig h t th e M i l i t i a i n t h e a r e a w

eiv making a h ou se t o h ou se se a rch f o r unem ployed vagabonds# I n t h e c o u r s e o f t h i s se a rch th e y rea ch ed tlic h ou se w here th e 5th •-ccused re n te d a room# I n t h i s room th e IstL litia found som ething c o v e r e d i n sa ck s# Vfoen th e y u n co v e re d i t , th e y fou n d e ig h t ’le a d s o f seWiDg m 'c h in e s o f d i f f e r e n t makes* They aske th e 5 th a ccu se d a s to whom t h i y b e lo n g e d , he s a id th a t t h e y had b een ta k e n th e r e b y t h e '4 t h a ccu sed # The 4th a ccu sed was t r c v » d and q u e s tio n e d * He a greed ta k in g th e n there* but he e x p la in e d t h a t th e y b e lo n g e d t c two p e o p le who had b ro u g h t 'them t o him and th a t th e y w ould be c o l l e c t i n g them th e f o l ^ o ’ 'in g m o m ir g i He ad d ed th a t he did n o t know t h e i r names, bu t th a t hu kn v; them b y fa c e # I t w as d e cid e d to k .o p M ilitia m e n a t t h e B u siya H o te l v/h. i th., 4th a ccu se d w orked and a r r e s t anybody who came t o c la im t h e goods# In d eed t h e f o l l o w i n g day th e a p p e l l a n t nnd t h e 3 rd a ccu sed a r r iv e d at t h e H o t e l rnd asked f o r the- 4 t h accused*. They w ere a r r e s t e d b y PW 4 NILA Slihr3 A . In h i s d e fe n c e th e a p p e lla n t d en ied t h e s e a l le g a t io n s # s 'i d t h a t on 6 /2 /8

2 h e did not r p o rt a t h i s p la c e o f work, b eca u se h i s w i f e was t r a v e l l i n g t h r t day* Then on 8 /2 /8 2 h e Went to Igoma to buy some k h a r g a s , w h ich he d id not g e t b eca u se th e p e rso n r e s p o n s ib le c o u ld not be Seen# But he u ,.t on e V0da a f r ie n d o f h i s who in form ed him o f t h e b re a k in g a t t h e i r shop® I t was w h i l e Veda was t e l l i n g him t h i s s t o r y th a t i i a l i t i r n a n appeared and a r r e s t e d him f o r laavine b. & in v o lv e d i n th e b re a k in g i n t o o f th e co m p la in a n t1 s s h o p c T h is he d e n i.d e Thu o n l y lin k 'b e t w e e n th e a p p e lla n t and t h i s o f f e n c e i s th e e v id e n c e o f h i s c o -a c c u s e fl th e 4th a c c u s e d . A c co rd in g to t h i s a ccu sed th e rr.ppellc.nt ancl h i s f r ie n d th .. 3rd a ccu se d went t o him a t "b o u t 1 0 ,00pm and askud him t o ke^p i n s a f e d u stod y t h e i r lu g g a g e u n t i l th e f o llo w in g m orning when th e y w ould le a v e f o r MusomaP They t o l d him t h a t t h e i r lu g g a g e c o n s i s t e d o f sew ing u rch in *; h ea d s w hich th e y wer,. t r ic in g t o Musoma w here th e y w ere m oving t h e i r b u s in e s s # As he l i v e d f a r from th e r o a d , th e 4th re c u s e d asked h i s c o l l j a g u e the 5 t h ‘ a ccu s e d th e u

se o f h i s room f o r t h i s p u rp ose and he t o o k t h e room key# He went end d e p o s it e d th*.. lu g g a g e i n th e 5 th accused* s room* To prov^ h i s p o in t the- 4th a ccu s e d s a id on h i s ’<arr>. s t th a t th e two p e o p le r e s p o n s i b le w ould come t o f e t c h t h e i r lu g g a g e# I t was f o r t h i s re a so n th a t t h e " M i l i t i a l a i d an ambush a t th e B u siy a H o te l w here th e 4th a ccu se d work',' They in te n d e d t o a x r e s t w hoever came t o a sk f o r th e 4th a c c u s e d . The a p p e lla n t and h i s c o l l e a g u e d id e x a c t l y t h i s and th e 4th a ccu sed i d e n t i f i e d them to be th e p e o p le who had ta k e n th e lu g g a g e c o n t a in in g sew ing m rchine heads* The a p p ea ra n ce o f t h e a p p e lla n t and h i s c o l l e a g u e a t th e h o t e l a sk in g f o r th e 4th a c c u s e d “c o l l a b o r a t e d th e l a t t e r 1 s e v id e n ce # T here was a n o th e r c b r r o b o r a t iv e f a c t o r ,, Both th e a p p e lla n t and t h e 3 rd a ccu se d worked a t th e p l - c where th e v e r y m achines had b^e s t o l e n , th e y had d isa p p e a r e d from t h e i r ' p la c e o f w ork sine-:, th e t h e f t and w h a t’ i t more th e 4th a ccu se d had no r e a s o n t o make f a l s e a l l e g a t i o n s a g a in s t them* I t h e r e f o r e a g re

e w ith th e t r i a l m a g is t r a te th a t th e a p p e lla n t t o o k p a rt i n th e brealcLng o f h i s em p loy er1 s shop and s t o l e th.. m achine heads# L a t e r a t n ig h t he and c o l le a g u e t o o k th e l o o t to Ig o n a p o s s i b l e a s a f i r s t phase o f t h e i r p la n t o d is p o s e o f them* He was r i g h t l y c o n v ic t e d and h i s a p p ea l a g a in s t t h e same i s d ism isse d # W ith re g a rd t o t h e s e n t e n c e , th e se n te n ce o f 5 y e a rs im prisonm ent was p r o p e r , my o n l y co m p la in t a g a in s t i t i s th a t i t i s in a d e q u a t e . He sh ou ld have been sen ten ced t o * a h ig h e r s e n te n c e f o r t h i s u g l y and fla g r a n t abuse o f h i s em p loy er’ s t r u s t c F or th e in fo m a t io n o f th e a p p e l l a n t , th e o f f e n c e o f sh op b rea k in g and s t e a li n g i s a s ch e d u le d o f f e r e e u n d er th e Minimum S e n te n ce s A c t and t h e owner o f t h e shop b rok en i n t o i s ir r e le v a n t ,. As t h e v a lu e o f th e p r o p e r t y tlie y s t o l e i s more than 5 ,0 0 0 /= , th e M ini mm S en ten ce i s f i v e y e a rs $ V/ith th e su r e a s o n s th e a p p e a l a g a in s t s e n te n c e i s a l s o d ism isse d * D e liv e r e d i n C ourt a t Kwanza t h i s 2 4th day o f O c t o b e r , 1983*