Iddi Shole vs Mkangala Nkumbo (PC Civil Appeal No. 5 of 1991) [1991] TZHC 2399 (2 August 1991)

IN ~ HIGH C.-'URT 01.' T.Al:TZ.AJITIA. AT SINGIDA (re) CIVIL APPD.AL M0.5 O'B' 1991 ICTOlOI AT IRArtBA IN CIV!L '\PP'.'n.lu, NO .4 O:T:i' 1990• ORIGDT,'\L CI'ITIL C11$IB lTO. 20 /89 OP J?RilTAY COURT M1)Uatm, il'ER'3U3 J 1J D G M :!'il JIJ T. The _appellant Id.d.i s/o hole suo.cessfully su00 the respondent 1:1knngn1n s/o l1cill!lbo at Nd.u'.11J.ti Primary Court in -Irnrnba District over a claim of a piece of lanc1!> Tl10 trial court held that the land. in diSl)U.te belon,?.Gd. to the appellant, becaU'3e he had. lawfully inherited it from his deoec.sod elder brother lndo s/o 11.boto. 'Ihe respond.ent suoocssfully appealed~ to ICiomboi "District Court, T'.::rnt l1Qs spurred. the app0llant to appeal to tis oo_urt after bc.in1 a,.:,,;ric_vcd: by the decision of the Llistriot Court. The appellant 1 s case nt tho trial was to the effect that tho lr.md in ilis·-,utc bclonr,cd. to his elder broth(?r Mwcndo s/o libogo who had. olco.re:d the bush in 1954 That e1acr brother 11.ie•~ in '1987 and the a:ppclla inherited it~ In 1')0,'3 rcspond.cnt asked oppcllnnt to l,')lnnt sono scnsonnl' crops in. tho disputed. lnnd. nna. the cppcllnnt ae;rccde .f. few months lntcr the -nppcJ.~~t went to check t'.1.nt land. nnd. to his surprise he found thnt -respondent had. plnnted porranncnt crops.. Ile asked. respondent ns to wby he hnd. done so 1 nnd. it is said respondent replied that the land in l'!utstion wns his :property. Tho a-ppcllimt had no vroy out hut to send the DD.ttc-r to oourt. The nppcllnnt wns SUIJJ:Ortcd_ ot the trial by n witness'!:- one ·y..'!i. Stot"lbuli s/6 l'!hindi (PW.2). ' ••• /2 ·1·.

2 Th.c rcspond.cnt •s or,sc nt the trial was to the effect that he hnd· 'bour1t thnt picoc of land. from Mwcn<'lo s/o l!boe;o .urin,7-: the ooloninl! a.ays. He snid that he 11our.'1lt th2t piece of land. for t?.ITcc (!;oats. He further snid. ttot· the s·alc trrmnnotion wns not v.d. tncssed. by n.ny wi tncss, but they wcr<" only, two-. 1\n1 )1c S'tlid t:mt fac sale trnnso.ction ' . . ,,m · not re uocd in wri t:i.n. find. the respondent caller:! one wi tncss l~. J3aico.ri s lo lau ("[)r,r.2) 1-r.'10 sc.id thnt he l1nd. just heard t:1nt ~~'1Cnio s/o ]1,'fborip hd sold. the. lnnd · in dispute for t'!J.rcc ,?,Oats, but that he 1:i.d. hot wi tncss the so.le t:i'onsaction! I ... The trial court fou.ncl. tat the 2ppcllant har'l proved. his case on a balance of probobiJ.i tics. They rejected. tl1c rcs-pondcnt 1 s contntion that he hnrl hounht the la.nd in d.isputc from 11wcndo s/o Mbor,p • ...... . . At the 'District Cou:rt rmd nt tiia court, the rcspb.ridcnt nd.vnnccd a ncvr t!lcory as to '.1ow 1c•· oci:le to om' the lt:nd in d.is,)utc • Ile se.id. that at the tria.t,; he cl.icJ not say t;:int llc- hc1d bou21 t the land· in ·dis:0ute from Mwcndo s/o Mbo;o for three gocts,. He said. that, bu::1h during the colorii.nl days when he was young c::n::I. mndc it n.rn.blc He s il'l t'.:i.nt he had. be en usin(-': that lnnd fo;r over. 30 J'C ars wi t:1out :,.. interruption, mtn 10f39 vihcn he found bcinl} suc0: by the appcllnnt. C3urprisin.a;ly the lcnrncd. District Mo.t'.;istratc ewallowd. that second theory of the responknt w:1ic.J. i-TOB obviously an nftcrthour:ht·: '-· , ... after f:i.nrling that ~1is first t:.1cory di1 not prcvcil nt the trinl" T!1c )1oldin:-:; 'hy tic learned Distriot Mnc;istratc that t'..1c responricnt. wns 1 enti tlccl to that piece of iand by virtue of lone occui-:)ation. of over 30 ycrirs, was mjustificd in view of the evidence on record ns well ns ~he ohanr,c in stance 1:iy the rcsrxm:\cnt. The respondent cannot be allowed. to blow b.ot nn1 cold. at the snne time. ~it the trial he snid. he bou::12,t t}?.c land in dioputc from nwcnd.o s/o M,o,;0, 11n<1 now he s,ws '.le has occupied. t:.1is piece of land. sincC' iis youth. :'1hich is wl1i<U? Thr nppcllont 'n evidence wns' strri(';.1t forwnrr\ cna • unwr,vcrinc;, rind. I nm sc.tisficd thnt· the triGl court wns justific, to be licvc it.

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J In the event, thi.s a:vpcnl suoocoa.s and ,it is allowc-1. vrith costs• 'r.1c. ju:~r:nt of the Distriot. OoUl"'t, is et "'ei1v wa.ilc th0-t of the tr:i.'"1 oourt is re-stored on rccor1. Order nccordingly. oomT1 The. jud.,~cnt d_clivcr::t1 in e:i.r.m1bcrs d 3inr-d."la in the . 'J.)r(:ocnoc of 'both pnr"t:tcs • . ,