| EACJ Judge President, Principal Judge Now Full-time in Arusha |
| Arusha, 2 July 2012: The EACJ Judge President Hon. Mr. Justice Harold Nsekela and Principal Judge Hon. Mr. Justice Johnston Busingye from today, 2 July 2012, officially assume office on full-time basis at the seat of the Court in Arusha, Tanzania.The Judges’ taking up residence in Arusha follows a directive by the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers held in Burundi last November to the effect that the services of the two EACJ Judges be full-time with effect from 1 July 2012.
Since the Court was inaugurated on 30 November 2001, the President of the Court and the Principal Judge have been performing their statutory functions as administrative heads of the EAC judicial organ off-site, a practice viewed as likely to undermine the institution’s efficacy especially in light of the increasing volume of work for the regional court. The steady increase in the number of cases prompted the Court to submit a proposal to the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers to engage the Judge President and the Judges of the First Instance Division full time in Arusha. The Council however decided that for the time being, it was only urgent to approve permanent residence for the Judge President and Principal Judge, while the rest carry on serving in both their national judiciaries and at the regional court. Since its inception in November 2001, EACJ Judges have been working on ad-hoc basis in accordance with Article 140 (4) of the EAC Treaty. This owed in large part to the low volume of judicial work which did not warrant having a permanent regional Court. With growing volumes of cases brought before it over the last two years, however, the First Instance and Appellate divisions of the EACJ now hold sessions two weeks per month. The two Judges taking up permanently residence in Arusha is expected to boost the Court’s effectiveness in light of the rising demand for its services. It is anticipated that, with the opening of sub-registries in the Partner States and the operationalization of the Common Market Protocol, the workload will grow even bigger. The Judge President is in charge of the overall administration and supervision of the Court and directs the work of the Appellate Division. The Principal Judge directs the judicial work of the First Instance Division represents it and regulates the disposition of matters and presides over sessions of this Division. The day-to-day administration of the Court is done by the Registrar Prof. Dr. John Eudes Ruhangisa assisted by the Deputy Registrar Ms. Umugwaneza Geraldine. Before assuming their office on full-time basis, the Judge President Hon. Mr. Justice Harold R. Nsekela was a Justice of the Court of Appeal of the United Republic Tanzania and the Principal Judge Hon. Mr. Justice Johnston Busingye was President of the High Court of the Republic Rwanda. About the EACJ The East African Court of Justice (EACJ or the Court), is the judicial arm of the East African Community established under Article 9 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. Operationalized in November 2001, the Court’s major responsibility 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 High Courts of the Partner States serve as sub-registries. For more information please contact: Dr. John Ruhangisa, Registrar Ms. Geraldine Umugwaneza, Deputy Registrar Owora Richard Othieno, Head of Department; East African Court of Justice |
