high court judgement of lohay akonaay v. the attorney general

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IN THE HIGff COURT;OF TANZANIA
AT ARUSHA
~.~:)c:.~LANEOUSCIVIL CAUSENO. 1 OF 1'93
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'. 1. ,LOBAYl'..KONAAY~ " .' '.' .
2.0 JO:JBPHLOHAY. ; •• -< ...•................ PETITIONtR.S
versus
THE ~ON. AT~ORN~YGENERAL••••••••••••••
~RESPONDENt
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JUDGEMENT
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.,"l'h'e petitiorlers LC;hay Akonaay and Josetffi lJ9na~ ~~
learl".E:('1a~vocat~.s Mis t.obut u and saJiilg'kabroUqht the •.et~
"under 1~rticle.~.3:0(3) and 26(2) of the Constituti.n"f \ke
" Unit(~d R.-'!puolic 6f Tanzal'l1a {herei~after caal~~ the
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Thej.r customaty lanrl'law terureover the land 'in, question was
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decreec~ Ln Arusha R..M. Court Civil Case No.4 of i~87 which
decre~ ~ms executed and' the petiti~ne~put In possessiori of
the said 1and with effect from the ll.l~,e'. Despite ~ge1r
lawful r~overy of the 'land 'the 'petition~rs compfatn tha,t they
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• Cf~ ,threatened with eviction consequent to the enactment ef,
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'ACJc No••22/92 The Regulation Qf Land Tenure (Established
Vi1J.a',:res)·Act 1992 which i'n'~he:.":D~inio" of the.,etiti.ners 15
uncons t.Lcut donaj and should be s truck ,dow:nforthw1th. Hence
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the pr~sent petition.
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n, •.• i~.t-b'-i.e"comm~nce~~nt of the hearing ~f this petiti.oJ'). the
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C~u1",s'elfor the pet1tiorters arg:U,ed ~hat -the ,dei'ence, &1; the
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responfent should be struck off, bec:aus~ i~ is vague. ~The
·r~spor.(lent·i"'s couns el countered that. ,the repiy to tp·e ~etit'10n
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d:~'!i~iystates wh.kh. mat.ters are adm.1tted ..and which ones are
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other action (')r .remeqy~1awfully avail~le to
h:iIn"in respect of £hk same matter, institute
....l'roceedings for . rel-ie:; in the High Court."
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While ~.rt::icle 26(2) of the 'Constitutio~ provides -
"26. (2) Eve.r:ype_rson is entitled, subject to
the procedure provided hy.the law, to. inst~tute
proceedings for the protec~ion of the
Constitution
and legality."
_~_'" The present petition is therefore properly bet;ore the
Court ;:,s··.stipulated in Articles 30(3) and 26(2) of the
Constj.tut50n.
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~~.ccordinq to the counsel f.or thepeti tioners ~ection 3(1)
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_o~,;.ct No.22 of 1992. p~rports to exterminate thegeemed riqht
Of occupancy of the pet:ttioners OVer the land in d1st'ute
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which.they hold under section 2 of Cap 113 thereby violating
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hrt~_cle 24(1)· of the Constitution which gives the people' ef this
cour.tr~r. the right to hoLd property including land, lawfully
acq~ired. They turther contend that section 4: of Act 22/'2
outrageously denies the petitioners compensation there.y
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vjolating :"rticle 24 of t.he Constituion •• By block1hg the
.,p~t:t.tion~rs free access to cour ta of 1aw; sectien 5(a) and 6
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of J:~ct22/92. allegedly viol ates the bas ic concept of
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s::::.:::.:ti:-n of p~wers. particul.arly Articles 13(3) and loe of
the Const:itution. "The petitioner~-alleqe :that Sections 5
anq q,. ~f;' i-;'Ct22/92' discriminate the peasants, there~y vi1lating
A.t::ticle.13(1) and (2) of theConstituticm and that by ousting
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the jurisdiction of.the courtsov~r land disputes stipulated
in Act 1'!o.22/92 th'e said Act offends Articles rei, 13(3} and 30
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of '~'1eCon~titution. Owinq to the vilation of the various
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provi.s:i.ons 01f the Constitution, the petitioners 'J.tray that Act
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No.22 of 1.992 be '-declared null
ana void.
The r!'!spond.ent conceeds that the petitioners lawfully
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acquirec' their deemed right to occupency-ovex the suit
land in J943 before 'Operation Vijiji~' But the reSpendent
conter'('~s that the petition!=rs' land was lawfully .c~ired
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by the,:vi11age councd tvof KambL ya S~ba under the Villages
and Ujamaa':Villages Act No.2l of 1975 specifically Section 11
thereof.
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The J C~r1~e~ Principal State Attorney submitted that the
petit~or~rsatt~mpt to r~acquire their c~nfiscated deemed
right of o,=cupan~,Yovez' the land in cHspute vi~lates, Article 9
of t..'1e''::ol'~stitution now that the vilI acre council has lawfully
taker; over the 'I and. Mr .• Mono maintained 'that ParI iament
E'~c.Cte(~•.c"i:No.22/92 under Article 64 of the Cbnstitution
so :5,'::'~S'constitutional. He categoricall y denied that
s ect.Lor.s 3, 4,5 an'd6 of Act No e 2'2/9;i viol'ate ~hy provisj~ns
'6fth~C:ohsti tution noting that s oct Jon 4 only limits
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compense-c+on by specifying that no body would be compensated
for a u~re riqht or interest in land. It 1;'5 the view of
'Mr. TIoDb '~chat se~tion' 4 of Act !'l0.22/92 does not prohibit
'c·Omp8r.sa":5,onfor unexhaus bed improvements on the land 'which
the pe';::5':::i.oners'can claim underAr~-1cle 24(1) and (2') of the
C6r.s'~:5,tut50n. He faulted the petitioners conduct 6f grabbing
lar,/ ~J;"dchvioiates Article 29(3) and (,0 :'f the Constitution.
,. Thf: ,j~~spondent'defended' the exclusion of the jurisdiction of the
" 'cb\oirts of 1aw' in Land cases aris inq under Act No.22/92 saying
thc,t ~.r'~::j_cle13«:;(a) of the Constituiinn al Lows the existence
of tl:-5bunals 1ike 'the ones stipulated in Act No.22/92 for
adjudica~j6n of'lan~di~~ute~~ Si~ce AdtNd.22/~2 does n~t
vio i,te any p~ov~~16t1Sof the cons ti tution the respondent
"~raY""0 'that the ,'petition 'be dismissed.,
T,1e issue is wh~the~ sectjons 3, 4~ 5 and 6 of Ac~
'}.Too'"22/92 'the Requlationof Land'Tenure (Established Villaqes)
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i'.ct 1992 v+ol at.e pr-ovi.sdons of th~ Constitutlorl4
,":~ction 3(1) of Act No.22/92 provides:
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, "3 (1) Notw Lt.hst.andLnq any other law to the
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contrary; all r1qhtSto occupy or tbuse land
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in accdrda~ce with any custom or ruie of
c~stomary law existing'or held or clai~ed to
be held by any person in any village land
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~riorto Operation Vijiji, are hereby
~.extinguished" ~
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Section 3(2) of Act No.2~/92 clarifies that deemed rights of
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occupa~cy extit1gui~hed under section 3(1) shall not affect -
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lI(a)
any right.eoo./S

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II(a) any riqh,~ to, occupy or !:o use, any village
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'land which w,as acquired 'by any person
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during or subsequent to Operation Vij ij i,
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in any villaqe established as the result
of Operation,
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(b) 'any right to use or to ,oc:cupy any land in
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accordance , with any cust~in or rule of
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customary law existinq in any village
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which was not established as a resul t of
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~peration
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Vij1ji~.
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Secondly, the limitation imposed by such law must
not be mre tha~ is,rei:ison~lY necessary to
achieve the'legitimate oqject~ This is wh~t is
also k~ownas the principle of pr6portionality.
The principle requires that such law must not
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be dr~fted
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ton widely so as to'net everyone
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including even the untargeted members of
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.society. If'the law which inf,rinc:jesa basic
riqht does not,~eet both requirements, such law
is not saved bV Article 30(2) of the Constitution,
it is null and void. And ~ny law that seeks te
limit fundamental rights of the' indiv:1du~l must be
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construed strictly to make sure that it c~nforms
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"l~th these requirements otherwise the quara~teed
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r The 'constitutienal -Sights of t'he~"'peti tioners over their
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deemed r~qht pfoccupancyat Kambi y'a Simbawhich Act No.22/92
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'.. purpo~,ts to extinguis,h 1s also protected by Article 30(1 ) .f the
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Constitution .whLch,provides: '
(; "30.. (1) The r~ghts and freedoms, whqse bas ic
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.conbent; have"been s ez out in .this,
Constitution shall no~ be exercised
by any person
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in such, a mennar as~t•
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~~Ga$.,ion,t!einfrin~Emt or termination
n ,6£' the, rights and freedoms ~ others
~t the public Jhterest".
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Th.a pe-i!:tt1orit:;t::'S .I.awfUlly acquired th1ir' deemed' right,
eeeUparcy over the lana.in question in 1'43 by clearing the
~h anc' cut tivating,:the 1and. ,C Theyremq1ned in effect·ive
~poe.'!:J,~n of, the land until' theTiwere d 1splaced and dr-.1ven out
hy ,the vj.l1age co unc Ll at Kambi ya S1mba unael.- Operation Vij ij i
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"ide .'.,ct No.2l/75. ',Agg:r1evetl by that in.~e, the petitioners
suect-for ;;eC()ve~y ~ftbeir l~hd vide csvn CaSe No.4 of 1987
at the Court ••• f Resideni: Magistrate Arusna wh.1ch &3creed the
p-et5:l:iorers the lawful owners o.f the land, in question. Ther~
was ~9' appeal .•.fo that dec is ion ,,!:IO th,e decre.e was executed
~eL:el>y enabl'ing the pet1 tioners; to:, repossess ,the;ird land on
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the 11.1.90,.: To c Lrcumvenc the c;::ourt decision and similar
other decisions, the Minister for lliands initiated ~nd had
Par.liim1~!')t~,enact Act N'0.'22 of' l'~2'in, ordeF to legislatively
dr ive t;1e Pfiti ti(,J;}e'rsr:.from the 1r CllS tomary' 1and tenure and
repo::::-sf'SSthe land, according to the respondent, under
'Art5cles 9, 29(3)('4) and 64pf ,the Constitution.
A piece of legislation like Act'No.22/'2 which ar:DitrarHy
al10\-~s a vH Lage: authori,ty or government to drive individual
'peasa!;'cs.,like th,e petitionerS", out of land they lawfUlly
acquire(~ by cleariJg the bush under the sweltering sU", to
make room for comm'-!.nalownershil' or s ome .th'er ideelo,~y
caT'rot be saved, :by .Article' 30(2) of, the Const1tution. Act
No.~2/92 cispossesses 'i;he petiti.ners of their deemed rights
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of occupancy ov~rthe sU'itl and and forces them to q-e to
start' the5rlivellhood afresh by goin! tca clear the bush
ancl till ing the earth elsewhere.
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One W6!"'~erswhether after reestabl ishinq themselves elsewhere
an.d -their 1and has become ar~le some authority wont aq~in
drive them away under' some operation vijiji pretence. A more
equitable_
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and 1awful way of way I>Jf~tometinq dev~lopment
woutd be for the qevernment Gr village authorities to allocate
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virgin bush to l~ndless 1'ersens or pe rs ons in need of land.
'SUCh'P~J:-s.•. 6tls,· just·as .the ~etitione{s did way back in 1~~3
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~t Karnbiya S.imba,'wouidclear the bush and cu-it,ivate the land
\vi.:thout, interferring with the r Lqh t.s of other ~~oPl.e~.there.y
~~ndinq the "arable area in the country certainly for
Jetter

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;'•.rt5~cle 2~ of the constitution which the respondent
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contends confiscated the land fro~ the petitioners as
s't:1pulat~d in Act No. 22 of 1992 :!n fact fortifies the
'peti'::i.o!'~'rs f claim be~ause the' s~ld Article 29 guarantees
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bas fc human rights t~ the citizens ';f this country. The
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'sidd ~-'rt1.d1e 2' provides: '.
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(1). Every ~e~'~on resideht in the United
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Rep~.l~c Sl)all.beeT)titled to enjoy
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the b~ic human ..r.iqhts, al1d ,shar.~,ln
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•~~e .res ul t,:.of the d).scharge ~y every
yerson ::>f his duty to socie~y,: ~~c"h
!. riqhts and duties ,are set out in sections
12-'·to'2b of this Part Of~', this
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C~~stitution.
(2)Every.~~rson resident in the United
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R~Public shall be entitled to be afforded
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. ' .. ,et{Ual protection under the 1aws 6f the
Uni t~dR~public.
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(3) No citizen of the United Republic shall be
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They h.av~ ,'at in' this app1icat1on souerrc any sl"ecial status,
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. r:1g~tSor'. privi1eq~ and :the court has not conferred any on
_ .' :':, i;h~' pet"; tio~"~rs jo' Like ,all other 'law abidin'g c it1zens of
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. , .. ; thJ.s oount ry- the petitioners' are equally ent1tle0 t.; .as ic
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Provided-that'where the Customary Leaseholds
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(Enfranchisement· Act ,1960) dOe!S'not "ap'pTy.the
H'in'is'ter may estCiblish _a~'Tribunal as- !f'rth"at' Act
applied to such- are-a: and-th~ Tribunal' so e~rt'ul ished
shall' pe rf-c.rm all. the" functions' aha exerc-i§'~[';all
.al Lthe .po.wers: of the' Tribiitral' .undez-' th'is Act. Ii
. The'.eff~:ct -of'sections' 5,,'and·'6 ('IfAct,No~22 .. of'i99Z is,t. oust
t.he .jurisdiction.;.f ..the' c-ourts·of'law.' in. land'd isputes
ar:i_s5.n9 unde-r the' contr6versi.j.-~ Act~No. 22 of'l ~92ana'''excl us ively
V:eS:tihg such:' jurisdiction Lnrl and trJ.hunals. Such ~tistin.