Tanzania Court of Appeal: Rape Conviction Quashed Over Interpreter Failures

On October 27, 2026, in Tanzania, the Court of Appeal in *Alli Girawe Baha vs Director of Public Prosecutions* (Criminal Appeal No. 9742652 of 2026) found that interpreter procedure failures had vitiated the victim's evidence, leading to insufficient proof to uphold a rape conviction. This significant ruling by the Court of Appeal of Tanzania underscores the critical importance of procedural integrity in criminal proceedings, particularly when language barriers necessitate the use of interpreters. The court determined that the irregularities in the interpreter's procedure rendered the victim's testimony unreliable, thereby undermining the foundational evidence upon which the initial conviction was based and ultimately leading to the overturning of the conviction.