EACJ PARTICIPATES IN THE 20TH EAST AFRICAN MAGISTRATES AND JUDGES ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE HELD IN UGANDA

East African Court of Justice, Arusha, Tanzania, 5th December, 2023: The President Hon. Justice Nestor Kayobera together with other Judges of the Court, are attending the 20th East African Magistrates and Judges Association Conference, which is taking place at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.

The four days conference under the Theme: Harmonising the best practices of judiciaries in East Africa was officiated by Her Excellency, Jessica Alupo, the Vice President of the Republic of Uganda, on behalf of H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda. In His statement, His Excellency, the President urged the Magistrates and Judges in the EAC to harmonize administration of Justice system to be able to integrate economically and politically as well as applying common standards and best practices to enhance justice, efficiency and timely decisions at the regional level.

His Lordship, the Judge President of the East African Court of Justice, Hon. Justice Nestor Kayobera presenting on a plenary discussion, ” The Role of the EACJ in the Administration of Justice”, exemplified the EACJ’s role through the Court’s jurisprudence. He pointed out that, the major role of the Court is to ensure adherence to law in the interpretation, application of and compliance of the Community laws and that, majority of cases filed before the EACJ are within the fundamental principles of the Community governing the achievement of the Community objectives, of which, the EAC Partner States undertook to abide by.

He further said that, delays of disbursement of funds and the ad- hoc service of the Judges at EACJ are critical challenges affecting the Court’s operations in administering timely justice, considering that, the Court’s budget depends entirely on the contributions from the EAC Partner States. However, he said that, despite the challenges the Court is focused to achieve its mandate, to foster the EAC regional integration by ensuring adherence to the Community laws.

Justice Kayobera further appreciated the EAC Partner States for respecting the decisions of the Court as a regional judicial arm of East African Community which builds confidence of East Africans to entrust in the Court.

During the symposium, other discussions will include;

• The Role of the Land and Environment Court in Socio-economic.
• Strategies in the fight against Case Backlog.
• Challenges facing the Banking Sector and the Administration of Justice.
• Best Practices in the fight against corruption in the Judiciary.
• The Role of Judicial Association in the Administration of Justice

The discussions create a forum for participants to learn from each other, share best practices to strengthen the rule of law and fundamental rights enshrined in the Treaty Establishing the East African Community.

The East African Magistrates and Judges Association (EAMJA) draws membership from the organizational bodies representing Judges and Magistrates in the East African Counties namely; Kenya Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (KMJA), Rwanda Judges and Registrars Association (RJRA), Uganda Judicial Officers’ Association (UJOA), the Judges’ and Magistrates’ Association of Tanzania (JMAT) and Zanzibar Judicial Officers Association.

The Conference attracted participants from the Republics of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, the East African Court of Justice, the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association.

About the EACJ

The East African Court of Justice (EACJ or ‘the Court’), is one of the Organs of the East African Community established under Article 9 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. The Court was established in November 2001, its key mandate is to ensure the adherence to law in the interpretation and application of and compliance with the EAC Treaty. Arusha is the temporary seat of the Court until the Summit determines its permanent seat. The Court’s sub-registries are located in the capitals of the following Partner States: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania.