Tanzania, July 19 -- Arusha. The Court of Appeal has overturned a life imprisonment sentence handed down to a retail shop owner in the Mto wa Mbu area of Monduli District, Arusha Region, Mr Baraka Makubi, after finding that the evidence lacked the credibility required to prove a charge of child rape beyond reasonable doubt.

In a judgment delivered on July Friday, 17, 2026, a panel of justices comprising Lugano Mwandambo, Abraham Mwampashi, and Lameck Mlacha quashed the previous convictions.

A copy of the ruling was subsequently uploaded to the Judiciary of Tanzania website.

The appellate court allowed Mr Makubi's appeal, setting aside the prior verdicts of both the Monduli District Court and the High Court (Arusha Zone), which had orig...