Nuru Kafuku and Others vs Nranjo Multipurpose Agricultural Marketing Primary Co-operative Society Ltd (Civil Case No. 5 of 1998) [1999] TZHC 203 (30 June 1999)

IN 'l:HE HIGH 0000 ,OF 'l'A.NZANIA A!l:-~~ABORA CIVIL CAO N0.5 OF 1998 1 • NURU· KA1"0KU ~ MICHAllL IaM.aMBO 3. 'J.'ROMAS KA.PAMA 4. YAHAYA SlZYA

• ·· ·-- ..... --5... N LUiaMINGA o. FIUiico··MAam.oA ·-.., .. ··- .. . . 7c m'.,AVIAN ILCMO ••••••••••• ·•·•··· vmmus NJA.NJO MMIPllRPOSE AGBICtnll!UR.AL NtUlK11!l'ING PRIMARY CO-OPERA!rlVE ELAUrm8 ···-. SOC WY W: D •. • • • •• •• • lJi!ll'M&.QQfl'. JU:OOMEN~ he:· plaimi.i'fs, Nuru BaftlkUt Michael··!:tmambe, homas cma., Taheya 8;izya, Hussein Luktuninga.; Jranai Ma.sa.nglii; and Fl.avian Ilomo · were roanbe:rs of t,he defend.ai-rt,, Nsanjo Multipurp•se Agrio-ultl.1:t'ral Ming Primary Coperative 3oa1ety Limited. On 28th Deaembert 1996 a resolution·passedby the general meeti,.. ng of the defend.ant sOGiei,y d;i.smissed the plaintiffs from ni8llbership of ,,he sociei,y., As· a. result t.h~ plainiiff were not, provided with f'm input,s_. hey suffered loss of expected" profit frem sale of t.obaaoo to a t,o'i,al tune of shs. 18 1 886 1 000 /= hey also claim -their. aontr but,ions "mfuko wa Jiah?,ngie Mwen;;ewe" teta.lling,llp -r,o shs. 1 1 326,))),.. · '.rhe defenda.nt ·admits tha1, i",he plaintiffs were· s~;rwle · off the regie1iEm of m~bership, bi 1, that this wis done lawfully. · he defendant enies any obliga.ti°ont,o sUpply plaintif:t's with agriaw.t,1.1,t'al .inputs after t,he latter had •otlsed t,o be members of t,he deiendant society. he defendant, also allegJs that· the Jiahangie Mieeyewe fund i'S not ref undahle when a ma:nb~~A membership· a eases. Boi;ll,'W18 defendant prs that thi suit be dismissed with costs. ~he following issues were framed at. -the beginning of this ., hearj_ng1-

2 1e lliether the third plaintiff wa.s a member of ',he defendant soaiety. 2. llb.et,her "t,he plaint,iffs' expulsion from the defendant scc-iet,y was u.nla.wful. 3. 'Whet,her a.ft.er expulsion t,he plaintiffs ware ent,itled to ·be supplied with ae;ricrultural inputs for the 1996/97 !i:obacco Season •. 4. ll]iei;her the plaini,iffs are entitled to t,heir claims. 5. lib.at :reUefs a.t'e t,he parties ant.it.led· to.· ... -. I neerl no1·, resolve t,he first now ;~~!-l, 0 as it will depend on·-·;hot I decide on ·l..he other issues., !Che secrond issue is wh.aiiher the pla.:i- ntiffs were lawfully expelled from t,he society. :V.il'e M'taki for the plaint,iffs submit t.ha.t i,hei.r expulsion was unlawful as they wElt'e not given the aha.nae to defend t,hemselvese IJ.'he plaintiffs s~ "'lihe gene- ··· ra.l meet,ing was juat shouting and jeering at i,hem and ordered t,hem t,o quit t,he sOO'iety. Bu:t. the defenae witnesses edge t,he.re were-• hea.t"ings and t,he plaintiffs stated their cases~ 'l:he mimrl,es of t,he meeting, ;tendered in court as I2, states t,here l'tere 3 cases of discriplina.1:'y otiJl.iions. One of i.hem was t,he plainiiiffs' group whicsh had called an illegal meet,ing t,o sa.bntage the society. The minutes aonaludea "Baada ya mjadala mrefu mkuta.no mkuu wa ka.waida. kwa. pamoja. uliwaomba wanMhama hao wa.s:iJ:name waombe radhi, pAmoja na kuombwa. hivyo kl.mdi hilo lilikatao, kufa.nya. hivyo 0 Ndipo rnk:ui,a.no rnkuu wa. kawaid;l. v.liamua. kuwafllkuza ua.na.oha.ma wao 11 0 '!his means i.11 E:lglishi: "er along debat,e the annual geneI'a.l meeting asked those members t,o apologize but, they refuaed them the oI'dina.ry gen011al meet,ing deaided t,o dismiss i·,hem., n From t,he evidanoe and t,he minutes of t,he meeting I am not oonvinoed even on "'1,he bala.noe of praba.bilit,ies 1,hat, t,he plaint,if.fs were oond&- mned unhea.Tdo The a.uthorii,y of the ,·:·'-·-"'·-''·:::J.:ry g.eneral meeting to e.Jg>el manb<ms from membership has not. been disputed by t,he plaintiffse- 'l!he plaini'd.ff s have not, even prayed t,hat i,heir m~bar ship be re star ea.. I am no1; convinced that, t,heir expulsion was unlawfule

3 .Having deO'ided that the pla.inti:ffs ware lawfully expelled it goes 11it,hout sing that they wcme not. ent,it•'" 3d to be sUpplied wit,h agri<uil:l.ura.J. inputs by i,he defandAnt, a.ft,Ere 'they had e-eaaed t,o be mE1nbers of t.llat so-7iety. he soaiet,y gives input,s on csedit. to it,s mE!llbars only a:>o the pla.in-i•,if:f's are not, entd.tled for their claims for spec-ial damages sta.t,ed in para.graph 3 of t,he plaint,~ As for "i,he Jiahangie Mwenyawe cront,;r~.::-rtd.on the defendant sa:, this is nefunda'ble. The pla.int,iffs sey it is. he defendant &a.l's the Jiah'ie Mwen,yewe contributions like membership fees are not. .refund.9hle. '?hey a.re 't,he ones used to ,,,1un the socriet,y and t,he plaintiffs goi, -t,hose servit"es -when t,hey were members., thfort.unately no ;.·_:-.;ri,~ ·hndared the societ,y, 1 s by-Laws on this. !!:ha burden is on the pla.int,iff to prove that they ar0 ont,itled to 1.lia.t refund.. ihey have noi, disoharged it. I find no reason 't,o disbelievo the defenae aase on t,his., !!:hey refunded i.he plaintiffs other a ont.ribu:t.ions like .. '\ht..:ir sbAres in 't,he soaiet.y and sa'::'gs and c:redit, soc:tet,y balanaes So tne plaintiffs I am satisfied a.ro not, ent,itled t,o their claims, 1his answers the foittth and fifth issues. As for i;hc sixth issue t,his su:i.t is dismissed with costs. L~B,, Mahome 1 Judge }')/6/)9 Delive:rcd --,his 30th ~ of June, 1999 in 1,he absenae of 't.he par.t.ies. ~··\ ll[SURI<m ;~~~RAR, ABOB.Ae ___,.........,- L.,B. M¢homa 1 Judge 30/6/99