Ditched at the Alter

/in /by

I am a man aged 37 living in Morogoro. In January 2025, a woman I was courting for over 3 years left me for another man on the day of our wedding. I invested a considerable amount of my savings in her education and I also helped her start her own business after University. My support to her was only because she promised to marry me, otherwise I would not have supported her. Please advise if I can take legal action against her?
MJ, Morogoro

We sorry to hear about this. This is a tricky situation. If you can prove that you had agreement with your then-partner, then you can sue her in civil proceedings for recovery of sums that you have invested in her education and business, especially if it was clear that you were only investing in her because she promised to marry you. Section 69 (1) of the Law of Marriage Act, Cap. 29 [R.E. 2023] (LMA) provides that a suit may be brought for damages for the breach of a promise of marriage made in Tanzania whether the breach occurred in Tanzania or elsewhere, by the aggrieved party, provided that (a) no suit shall be brought against a party who, at the time of the promise, was below the age of eighteen years; (b) no damages shall be awarded in any such action in excess of loss actually suffered as a result of expenditure incurred as a direct result of the promise. Further, a suit may similarly be brought in respect of the breach of a promise of marriage made in any other country but only if such an action would lie under the law of that country as well as under LMA. Note that the law does not permit suits for specific performance of a promise of marriage. Be mindful that there is also a time limitation. Section 70 of the LMA provides that, notwithstanding the provisions of any law regulating limitation of actions for the time being in force, no suit shall be brought for damages for the breach of a promise of marriage more than one year after the date of the breach. We are sorry for what you are going through and we wish you all the best. Your lawyer can guide you further.