She narrated the entire ordeal to Hamza Hemed, the paralegal, and then asked for help in lodging an appeal. He advised engaging the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) in Mbeya. Upon examining her case the lawyer informed her that handling her case would incur upon her quite a steep fee which she told him she didn’t have.
“He asked me, if I had one million Shillings, but I told him frankly, I couldn’t afford such a fee, the most I could pay was five hundred thousand Shillings only. At that point, he lowered the fee to seven hundred thousand Shillings, which forced me to borrow extra money to get to. The appeal was then lodged and a summons was issued to my husband, the buyer and their witnesses”, Furaha explained.
The case was then moved to the High Court. In the course of the case, the agreement was reviewed further and it was discovered that Furaha’s signature was forged, thus an arrest warrant was issued for her husband and everyone involved in the sale deal. Two days later the culprits were arrested ready to be arraigned in court and Furaha was determined to see justice run its course.
In court her husband admitted to the forgery while the others denied involvement. With the possibility of prison facing her husband and his accomplices, he turned around and begged her for forgiveness, even so much as asking several respected individuals to plead for him.
Down the line, the other accused men also came round, and they too realized that prison was the only end, and they also admitted to the crime and begged her for mercy. The prosecutor asked Furaha what she wanted and when she made it clear that all she wanted was the land, the case closed pretty much that instant.
The offenders were then ordered to make arrangements to return the plot to her which they duly did.
Hemed told us that, under those circumstances, he sensed the need to help her protect the plot.
“I insisted upon her that, she shouldn’t accept the plot back with a mere word of mouth, but that an agreement must be signed by all involved stating clearly that, they have returned the land to her and that all along, she was the rightful owner, hence nullifying the illicit earlier agreement. I further advised her to put the plot under her ownership in a title deed. It’s comforting to see that, her life has taken a turn for the better since the end of this saga”, he said.
Furaha now is a picture of confidence and a more enlightened woman, “I’m pleased the ordeal is history today. Ever since, the land was returned to me, I have successfully cultivated on it and recently harvested 13 bags of rice, and also harvested sesame which have enabled me to afford school fees for my children and ensure there’s food in the house at all times. I have also since opened a small eatery that adds to my income daily”, she told us boldly.