Celebrities' Justice in Tanzania: `Papaa` Msofe faces murder charges

KARAMA KENYUNKO

A prominent city businessman Marijani Abdubakari Msofe alias Papaa Msofe (50), a resident of Mikocheni yesterday appeared at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam charged with murder.

The prosecution led by State Attorney Tumaini Kweka told the court that the accused committed the offence on November 6, last year, at Magomeni Mapipa in Kinondoni District.

Before Resident Magistrate Agnes Mchome, Kweka alleged that on that day the accused (Msofe) murdered one Onesphory Kitoli.

The accused was not allowed to enter any plea because the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s court does not have jurisdiction over murder cases which are normally heard at the High Court. Kweka informed the court that investigations into the case were still underway.

Magistrate Mchome adjourned the case to August 23, this year when it comes up for the first mention.

Msofe appeared at the Kisutu premises at 3:30 under escort of three plainclothes policemen, two of them armed with a gun each.

‘Papaa Msofe’ was wearing a black pair of trousers and a blue shirt, and remained under custody until 11:33 when he was brought to the court to hear his charge.

He left the Kisutu court premises at around 12:05 in a Landcruiser Car with registration number PT 1447, escorted by six policemen, some of them armed.

Msofe was arrested two weeks ago when a commander of police Kinondoni special zone Charles Kenyella said they were holding him at the Magomeni Police station on suspicions of having killed a fellow businessman, Onesphory Kituli.

Narrating the incident, Commander Charles Kenyela said that Papaa Msofe was arrested after the murder of Kituli, a resident of Magomeni in Dar es Salaam.

He said before the killing, Papaa Msofe and the late Kituli were fighting over a house, which he had bought on mortgage after he had paid advance payments of Sh 30m.

Kenyala added that police were also still looking for another suspect whom he didn’t name in connection with the murder, who was still at large.

Kenyela explained that Papaa Msofe gave the said money to Kituli on condition that the latter would forfeit his property if he failed to pay the money back. However, Msofe and unidentified ‘colleagues’ are alleged to have started ‘threatening’ the late Kituli over the issue.

He added that in the crisis that followed, the late Kituli filed a case in court, but the man was later found dead in front of his house on the day judgment was due to be made in court. Nothing was taken from the house.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (11/08/2012): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=44630