20160830 TZHC Dodoma1

-~ •.,.s~-. - IN THE HIGH C·OURT O.f TAN:ZANIA AT DODOMA Land Appeal No. 22 of 20·16 (Frorn the Decision of the District Land and Housing Tribunal f · Kondoa District at Kondoo in Land Case No. 5 of 2014) t-'. .' i' 1. MIRAJI !DD HASSAN ................... . 1st APP El LANT l ;- t:f~ 2. ALLY NTISI _ ............... . 2nd APPELLANT I' 1--·, I•. 3, ZAINABU f\r1OHAMED SE LEMAN ........ . 3rd APPELLANT 4. SWAlEHE IHKITI ............... . 4th APPELLANT f1 5. MAMIS SWALEHE - ............... . 5th APP·ELLANT ~J 6, JUNlA SH/4.BANI ............... . 6th APPELLANT 7. All Y MAUUD KIMOLO .............. .. 7th_ APPELLANT 8. SWAl.EHE RAJABU SAUSI ............... . 8th APPELLANT 9. !VlOMAJ\AED HAMISI ITKI ............... . 91h APPELLANT ·- ·-:; .;:-~ 10. J\AOHAMED lDRISA RASHID ....... : 1 Qth APPELLANT .. VERSUS -THE REGiSH~fU:t) T~USTf:ES OF ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF KONDOA RESPONDENT- JUDGMENT 28/07/2016 & 23/08/2016. SEHEL, J.. The present appeal originates from .the· decision of the District Land and Housing Tribunal of Kondoa District at Kondoa (hereinafter,· ·_ -.· referred to as the trial Tribunal). At the trial Tribunal_, the appellants . filed _a_n application against the respondent praying amongst oi~~•-, 1 things for an order that they' be declared as the lawful owner of the: .• land in dispute. At the end of the trial the trial Tribunal declared the . respondent as the lavv1ful owner of the suit land comprising of 1000 ,: qcres. Aggrieved by that• decisioh, the app~llcihts through the. services of Equaliiy · Attorneys lodged before this Court a memorandum. of appeo}:'·c·omprisecJ:of ten grounds· of appeal. . .· 1.• That, the· Districfl.dnd and ~Hc:,using Tribunal erred in law and . ·. '-·, ' ._ • ! . - by upholding· the.·• decision of the Ward Tribunal without scrutinizing the· evrd'ehce: cit he parties thereof. 2. ThaL the Distric\Ldrid 'dna Housing Tribunal erred in law and . fact·. by .. ~isdi,:~/::+Jtg '.its81.f on the· standard of proof required ·. ·., . ' . . . ~ ' .;.,. . . ' . ' . .. . in civil cases in which land case aFe ihclush1e. 3. That the: DisJticf:l:dnd ar-1d Housing Tribunal erred in law and fact for not.• considering . . . . ;. . the weight of the evidence . . adduced by ttie App~l!ant before ·upholding the decision ~f the Ward Tribunal. 4. That, the District La11d and Housing Tribunal erred in law a_nd fact by upholding the decision of the .Ward Tribunal basing . _,, ,: . . '• on the weak ev_i?~n_ce or the _responde~ 2 At the hearing of th~ Clppeal, Mr, Ngeryle.la, .lear.ned advocate from Equality Attorneys appeared Jo· represent the appellants while. J\/1r. Nyabiri, learned advocate. fr9m_ RK. Rweyong·eza . ,. I_·· . • & Co.- Advocates appearec:t 9nJ:~_e,_half o_f the re?ponde_nt. ' . , ,_•··, •c •'' . .· . . In this :oppeql. Jtiough . both counsels adequately and extensively argued all. gro_unds of appeal and wJth a lot of industry ·,· ...· .. put in it. I wiil only .tbhfiriJC-m'y~·e1f wrth drounqt number eight sin¢e .'. :: ·. frorn the .subrnissions:: of-both counsels there is common. agreement .. ·: that the records do nc>t' s0ow what transpired at the locws in quo. The r: : . : ,:__ • __ ; •• ~: ••. ; > • .complaint by·Mr. Nge.melcr,ori thls ground is that at the visitation, the. ) :> : .· . . responde'.nt. ,:,_ --: foilt=.::d :· {ct ia_~:rHify :: .. · ___ ::·-~ lts_\and_.,-,', ... ..........:·,;.·::.,.;·'-~--.•:'~~,'-.· ~ ond it is not reflected in the-·\ :'.,..--· ,. ..:·~------ :' ' , .. -·, proceedings; /'l1L ~,!yabiri respo'nded that though the records do npt. ,. :.:·'·:, indicote but such omission WPS _pot_ p(ejudicial since the judgment- ;,. ·. · _; . :·. . ··- . , -·~: :··. ·-< . :- __.- :r . . ... :- . - : · dearly inclicc,tes what ttonspiredot the :locus in quo. :~e ~roceedings at Page 23 show that the Tribunal Qrdered for the v1s1tat1on to be held on 23rd day of November, 2015. However1 , !L-k. i::--·,;~~;.;;;f -i ' . 1:..·.:..,_~.,;c what transpired on 23 rd day of November, 2015 is reflected as follows fi"'""~~;~'t in the proceedings: "Tribunal: This day was fixed for a visitation and the parties are all ready as well a_s this tribunal m~mbers Ntr. Ngernela Advocate: I wou~d like to file a final written submission. I pray for a final date of_ filing the s a m ~ 3 . . · : Ms. ·sophia Advocate: if thaf is the cos~, I would like to file n1y find! written submission too. O;rder: By using Regulation 14 of ·the Land Dispute Couri·s (The District Land and Housing Tribunal) Regul.ations, 2003 which . ' · allows the filing 'of. the· fitia.l submission be it ·orally or written I hereby grant the·.counsels-prayer. · (i) Written submission: :from_ both,,part·ies to. be filed not later . . (ii) As lohg Os, J will .-be. in: my ·.annual leave from the id of . . December to the . mid-January the judgment;· will be . . . pronounced dtthe end of January, 2016; Order: Judgrnent 29./1/20.l 6. ·. ·. : .. . .. · Sgh':,.A/i .. Khqsim· . · · Chairman .· From the foregoing it is• not ·known as to whether visiiation was . i dohe or not. The trial Chairrncm in his judgment, at pagie 5 made . reference to the visit that the Tribunal made. It reads: "..this Tribunal visited . the locus ·il'J quo but no beacon was found as alleged by both parties but it . . was disclosed that· a · big part of the. suit land is located at Hurui village and the remained small areas: are located at Chubi and Mifafi Vi/lag~ 4 ·- , I am· settled in mind that ~uch· an .omission occasioned _a - miscarriage of justice 0nd. canno:t be saved by Section 45 of the - ···-- land Disputes Courts Act,·. Cap~ 216~ -_ - I- therefore firid merit in the,,-. : - : : · · - appellants' _eight· ground _of, appeol. I,· proc~ed. to quash the .. : - _ proceedings and set aside the judgment of the District Land and -Housing Tribunal. Since t:his ground -dispos~s the whole appeal then --. - ,, proceeding to determine' ,other grounds of -appeal will be for -_ academic purposes{ - .. ,_ -- As the t.lppeal is partty crllowed on legal technicOlity, I make no - order to costs as· the rnistake -was occasioned by the District Land ·_1 - i > - ·-and - Housing TrlbunoL - Either: party .is. at .liberty t.o start the dispute -_ •. · ofresh, if so \ vishes. It is·so ordered. _ 1 Dl!tJED ot Dodomci th·s 30 th·day- of August, 2016. _B.M.A Sehel. ___ :_-~!:~ JUDGE - ·,·r,,00 -- . - - . ' - - . - -·£,- --~- - Judgrnerrt de!iveded at Dodoma in open Court, undEfrmy hand and seal of the court lhfs 30 th day of August,2016 in the presence of _ ; .::1, , 6th oppellant and '"~~-- ·Mbsai, learned advocate for respondent. Right