A local legal expert has noted that more sensitization on the existence of the arbitration jurisdiction of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) in the EAC bloc is necessary.

This was emphasised at the end of a two-day workshop Tuesday, aimed at enhancing the awareness and use of the arbitration jurisdiction of the EACJ.

Speaking to The New Times, Richard Mugisha, a member of the Kigali Bar association, said that the just concluded workshop was good but not sufficient.

"More sessions are required to sensitize people on the arbitration procedure, especially from the legal and the business community,” said Mugisha, who is also a managing partner with Trust Law Chambers, a Kigali law firm.

He reiterated that the court’s arbitration jurisdiction is a good service since it quickly solves disputes and that people will get more interested once they know more about how it operates.

Maria Umubyeyi from the Rwanda NGO Forum on HIV/AIDS and Health Promotion, observed that the court’s dispute arbitration process was crucial as it advanced a win-win scenario while Porres Muyombo, a legal advisor in the Rwandan Ministry of East African Community Affairs also approved of the workshop’s benefits.

"This workshop has added to my understanding of the EAC organs, mainly the EACJ and in particular, the court’s arbitration jurisdiction,” Muyombo said.

He urged all participant to "spread the message” across the country.

The EACJ is a treaty-based judicial organ of the EAC tasked to ensure adherence to law in the interpretation and application of and compliance with the East African Treaty of 1999.

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