TANZANIA: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR BABATI MAN OVER STEPSON’S MURDER

The Court of Appeal of Tanzania on March 16, 2026 upheld the death sentence for Emmanuel Safari, a resident of the Babati District.
Safari was found guilty of the murder of his 18-month-old stepson in Manyara village.
According to the prosecution, the crime was committed following the instructions of a traditional healer (witch doctor) under the promise that the act would bring the man wealth.
Safari was convicted of sodomizing the child before the murder. Medical reports confirmed the cause of death as neurogenic shock resulting from severe injuries.
The Court of Appeal judges (Winfrida Korosso, Lilian Mashaka, and Paul Ngwembe) dismissed Safari's appeal, confirming the sentence of death by hanging originally issued by the High Court of Tanzania in Manyara.
While Tanzania maintains the death penalty for capital offenses like murder, the country has observed a de facto moratorium on executions since the 1990s. However, courts continue to hand down death sentences for particularly heinous crimes.