The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) will, between November 2 to 30, shift its staff and logistics from Arusha Tanzania to Kigali in an annual rotational sitting partly aimed at making Rwandans more aware of the judicial services provided by the EACJ. ALSO READ: Two Rwandans named judges to East African Court of Justice The rotational sittings are a new initiative under which EACJ judges and employees visit member states of the East African Community (EAC) and provide them judicial services in cases that are within the competence of the EAC Treaty. Speaking in a press conference in Kigali, the President of the EACJ, Nestor Kayobera, said the EACJ will be hosted at the High Court premises in Nyamirambo during the month of November. “We are coming so that the citizens of Rwanda will know more about the role of the EACJ in regard to the EAC development. We think the citizens need to understand the work of the court and its responsibility. So, it is good to visit partner countries and make people learn about the competence of the EACJ and its importance,” he said. He added that the EACJ rotational sittings do not interfere in the work of the judiciary of other countries. “We are not coming to instruct the judiciaries of partner states about how they should function because we know the judiciaries work in accordance with the countries’ constitutions. We don’t have the mandate to interpret the constitutions of the partner states, we only have the mandate to interpret the EAC Treaty and promote compliance to it,” he noted. ALSO READ: East African Court of Justice, National courts seek to harmonise laws The purpose of conducting rotational Court sessions is to enhance access to the Court for the people of the Community. The Court still faces the challenge of lack of awareness within the region hence the introduction of rotational sittings in the Partner States. Kayobera expressed his appreciation to the government of Rwanda and the judiciary of Rwanda for the support dedicated to hosting the month-long sessions at the Commercial Court in Kampala. Meanwhile, from October 30 to November 1, various judicial officials from East Africa will gather in Rwanda for the third Annual East African Court of Justice Judicial Conference, a meeting that is partly aiming at stimulating high-level conversations and discussions on emerging legal and judicial issues and strengthening the capacities of judges, judicial officers and other court users in the EAC. The conference is expected to have up to 250 Participants who will include Chief Justices and Judges from the national courts in the EAC, judges from Regional Courts, Attorneys General from the EAC partner states, Ministers of Justice, Ministers of EAC, Members of Parliament, and Legal Practitioners from the partner states and members of national law societies. It will also gather academia, representatives of civil society organisations and representatives of the private sector.
