Kiswahili S/O Bwigele vs The Republic (HC Criminal Appeal No. 243 of 1989) [1991] TZHC 2177 (26 August 1991)

'") o D 'v (.A.....t\ •• . .\ IN TIIE III'GH COUilT OF TiJJZiJ:UJ:. AT Ti:.BORA I APPELLI.TE JURISDICTION (Tabora Rgistry) (HC) CRHIIlTl..L li.PFElL NO. 243 OF 1989 ORIGIL"l;J,.L CRIMINl' .. L, CLSE NO• 122 OF 1988 O'i THE DISTRICT COURT OF K!JW,U. DL3:J.1RICT LT KtJI.tJ,'l." .. BLIF'OREg I.O.,Ko IIOZl~ SElJIOR DISTRICT W;.GISTiii;,TE. KISWIJ:IILI -S/0 BWIGELE~ •• 0 0 0 e". 0 •• 0 0 "oL.PPELLiJfT (Original Accused) (Original Prosecutor) Ohargeg Stealing c/s 265 of the Penal Code Cap. 16. •: n , ... t. Kl .. TITI 1 J. The accused persort; answering by the name KJWJJULI s/o BWIGEIUi.· but ... , ,, hereafter to be referred to as the appellant, ... 5 who was in the joint t:rial I of four accusoo persons charged as first accusedf with thefJ. cfs-'265 pf ,. . . . ,I ,, . ""*' the Penal Code; was at the end of the day convicted, as charged 9-;i · · . 0• sentenced· to three years it:1prisonment1 under the minimum sentence 1.:.ct. 19720 f.ggrieved, he has appealed against convj:cticin, contending that _th wass-- ( 1) No evidence to: war:rant c~~cti~~~ (2) that ~~ SIIIBECU Cotton r·:s . pound in h.i.s possessiont and .,(3) that, he had actually bought the same as Ii reject cotton, for making low ... Qi_i.ali ty. cotton mattresses..- The uncontroverted· facts are as follows &- covering a narrow compass. '0~ th~ night of 31/11/88 PW. 1 COSNi 1kIS!Ji1.; a night vachma.n 1 was on seuri ty g,,1ard dutfes at lrrlmiGOLO gil'll'le~ ' that h so employed him. MHONGOLO ginnery is· the property of 9~-I~~11:cu ( 1984) • 1.s the said P. W o 1, '· 1 . . was gOing around at ·5· a.m. 1 he discovered that the fence had been cut, and that some Cotton had been taken through the same.- With the Ginnery ·" Maneger inforoed a report was made to.the Sungusungu, - Traditinial ' II defence group and a search of the nearly houses was mounted 0 iUld from the room that was being rented by the appellant, in one of the houses of the 3rd accused, bags of cotton were:recovcred, and hence the charges that culminated in the conviction of:the appellant and acquittal of accuseds No. 2, 3;, and 4o

2 The appellant in def ending hi.mseff, told the court the~ t on the 24/ 11 /88, I he loft his village to look fo1~ employeu1cnt, ·which acco1-tling to him, he c;ot from_ one Ma..ng 1 ol:a Shija DoW., G 1 only: to be aJrcsted on tlJe 1/12/88,. IIowevcr tho said D 0 H,. 6 1-'1,.HG 1 0{. SETJJ,. 1 denied giving such employGi,1ent, nor seeing - r • • !i' . -•· 11 the appellant at his home 7 nor lrnowing hiu before t'Bnerally. I t1ink ui th respect,· and without beating 2JJout the bush, it Cclffilot, creclibili ty properly ~ ' assessed, 2nd which was, be derJ .. ed th0,t the appell6nt did t2.ko the cotton I se:Lzcd,into his roomo T'.J.J.iS testified crodiby thus-s- ii from ·che evidence of P ;i;f o 3 who '· "While a-t home. one peasr,n-c oalld Ias<1-1ahili ( ls-c accused) came at· I '~ hone,. rrhe f~rst accused. -;,1as earring one .bag of co·:ton., Ho ker,t ·' the "oa,J in his rqom in w.,nc_;_1 ho'. Has a -cenan-co ii ,I becaso, I used to see im 1 I () to pJ;opr.1I 1 G rn.atrGSSGSo O O O (l O O O t, 0 0 t O O 'o O O O oDu.ril1[; t:10 11igl1, I v;ont gottihg rcjootod 'I of the l101..:.so to 10lp mysulf o While outsio .. e 1 I saw t)10 accused carrying two bags of cottono 1ccusod asked for food, I gc 1 ,7G h:i.m c,,nd retired.co In tl1e: Dorning I loft for shoJ:lba work, '.J and when I cano back 1 I f.y1.nd tf1e tradit:Lonal soc1.uitr g•;ai-tls at b.urno n .. ·, Ji th this ovidonce vo1s;r c:c8dible it is, and. considering the 2,,libi II demonstr::<;od to be false by D. W o 6 1 .t1io· 1 concludion -;;J.'.l.o;c ·i;ho appelLtnt .r ,, was the one who on the r:1atorial night took tho cottou :i.nto l1j_s room, is inovi table· .. 2.nd I too 1 like the Whose cotton was this - is ·che Question, tl1at does not see'.'1 to h2vo been by tho trid 1'12,giGtr?'teo While it is tl"1-:.o 1 tha.t, it J. k Cl • • • • ' • ,j ' ' i 1 , . ' J.. LOO ·1,,10 im --c:i .. c;GJ.vo, cina. ptn; ; 10 scaron in-r,o Ii1O uion no ,J I step was ·ca\on 7 to show t>at ·:;;_:.o cotton seized under ·:;ho possession and control of. -[;}10 appellant; 2,ctr,all;-r bclongocl to S:'.IIR::CG (1984)ft The ai 0 en ,I the case klJls fro □, is a cotton arca 7 and could be obtaL1cd fron any ., I Q,uarter 1 other than tho Ginnery t onljr to have coinoiconco intevoningo That is alright, as f;;c as it :::,ucs, but. e·1cr if it is not, in qy view, \ it is a pooi·:;:i.on fror.1 ,vhich the appolla;.1t can ha1-tlly do:rivo oc,r:::fort and nor celebrate" ::0110 fact, thc:t 1 ·:;ht, appellant oper:1tocl.. i::.nclor t1c co-ver of ! darkness, only to accido11t2.,llJ bo scn by r.w .. 3 1 his :::rt;c,ging a f.Jlsc n1ibi 1 show cotton co,:tld not :1ave' 1 i legally been ob·k:,inocl all , and ·t;he ,. sar.10 cotton is not be3rond sw:i;::iicion, 1 ·ch1t it was illo_zo.lly obtainGdt thout91 the 01-mor n::1;y not be known., provisions of section 306 of I 1 , ,, , . ,.. d " , , . , wou a, 1 ·,;n.o:r-ororo 1.m er ·enc am;.,_1ori cy ·:;he Cri0il Frooocluro act 1985 7 find of the tho appellant not guilty as clla,rgod - of''. theft - and sot asiclo tho con,.-i tion theroforo 1 bv.t find hiw cuil ty e,r-iL con;·ict him unde1" section 312 (b) of tho Penal Code - boing in possession of ~roperty sl,i.spoctocl to have been stolon, or Us'1lawfl 1 .lly obtc,ined, sinco he 1 .1od ·no· reasonable ·c:I"planation, tonding to

• ; show irmo-?on·;:;' poc_session, ·· nor instning dot,bt in tho aincls of tho Court . -~ · and ± so convict hira., As tbis chango of conviction 7 rcmovco tho appellant or tho case or both, fro.o -tho ro2,lm · of the minimum sentence ! .. ct 1972, and as I am not sure ·whotl1or ·elm sontcnco would 2£tor all bo the same 7 I am rninclo6. -[;o rccluco tho scntonco. to tl1re0 y~ irnpriso~1rnent, and it is
• '-- - so o;edorocl. The a:opoal 'sttccoods to that oJccont-, but Other wise dj.sraissoclo Dolivo2. 1 od. this 2nd day of October, 199L, .. ~~-::--.~. ~:, ;. L.bsont Ea w a Kl'~TITI' :LQ])_Glk 26/8/1991 Appellant Mr., Komba State Attorney f'or ·[,ho Republico