Domitilla Mukantaganzwa took oath of office as new Chief Justice on Thursday, December 12, marking the beginning of her five-year term. Mukantaganzwa, 60, and her deputy Alphonse Hitiyaremye, 57, were appointed into their respective roles by President Paul Kagame on December 3. ALSO READ: The rise of Domitilla Mukantaganzwa to Chief Justice During the swearing-in ceremony, presided over by President Paul Kgame, Mukantaganzwa said: “We are committed to deliver on our responsibilities. We will ensure to deliver justice in time because justice delayed is justice denied. “The justice sector, just like the other sectors, continues to improve thanks in large part to the sector reforms that were initiated in 2004. The sector has recorded success but we are committed to achieving even better, particularly for the benefit of all Rwandans.” According to the Constitution, the President and the Vice President of the Supreme Court take their oath of office publicly before the President of the Republic. Mukantaganzwa succeeded Faustin Ntezilyayo, who had served out his five-year term. Hitiyaremye replaced Marie-Thérèse Mukamulisa. The Senate approved Mukantaganzwa and Hitiyaremye’s appointment on December 5. Mukantaganzwa has 30 years of experience in legal practice. She served in various capacities, including heading the Gacaca Courts from 2003 to 2012, which heard nearly two million cases related to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Senate approves new Chief Justice, deputy Until her appointment, Mukantaganzwa was the Chairperson of Rwanda Law Reform Commission, a position she had held since December 2019. Hitiyaremye, a former Deputy Prosecutor General from 2006 to 2013, had been a judge of the Supreme Court before his latest appointment.
