The 33^rd Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition concluded on 27 July 2024, with the combined team of Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, and Midlands State University, Zimbabwe, emerging as the winning team.  The runners-up are the Université Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso, and University of Nairobi, Kenya.  Capturing the pan-African aim of the Competition, the four finalist teams came from different regions on the continent -- the Sahel (Université Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso), from West Africa (Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State, Nigeria), East Africa (University of Nairobi, Kenya) and Southern Africa (Midlands State University, Zimbabwe).

Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, was represented by Michael Agu and Cynthia Ibor, and Midlands State University, Zimbabwe, by Michelle Patricia Chiwanga and Watson Tonderai Somerai. Idrissa Ouedraogo and Soma Tiacoumbié made up the team of Université Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso, and Mungai Michael Mburu and Okingo Emelda Aluoch were the team members of the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

University of Rwanda co-host

The University of Rwanda acted as host of the Competition. Prof. Elvis B. Mbembe, Dean School of Law, University of Rwanda, played a pivotal role in securing a successful Moot. The local organising team was headed by Dr. Pie Habimana, Vice Dean School of Law, University of Rwanda, ably assisted by numerous colleagues, in particular Mr. Jean Paul Mazimpaka, School of Law, University of Rwanda.

The Centre would like to acknowledge  the supportive role played by Prof. Didas M. Kayihura, Vice Chancellor University of Rwanda.

Participants

A total of 61 teams registered for the Moot this year, with 51 participating in the English-language rounds, 9 in the French language rounds, and only one team in the Portuguese-language rounds. Even in its 33^rd year, the Moot Court Competition still welcomed new universities as first-time participants: Daystar University (Kenya); Mogadishu University (Somalia); Starford International University (South Sudan); Islamic University in Uganda (all campuses)

Conference and Opening Ceremony

Held on 22 July at Marriott Hotel, Kigali, the conference  addressed two of the three main themes underlying the hypothetical case of the 2024 edition of the Moot Court Competition. These themes are: (a) business and human rights; and (b) unconstitutional change of government. Ten papers were selected for presentation in a hybrid format. Prof Nkatha Murungi, Acting Director of the Centre for Human Rights, moderated the session on Business and Human Rights, and Dr Ayodele Sogunro (ISLA) moderated the session on unconstitutional change of governments. The keynote speech was given by Hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Emmanuel Ugirashebuja

The official opening ceremony later in the day, held in the venue at the Marriott Hotel, was a colourful event and was attended by a number of dignitaries. The keynote address was given by the Chief Justice of Rwanda, Dr. Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo.

Preliminary rounds

On 23 and 24 July, participants participated four times, twice as applicants and twice as respondents. The Judges in the preliminary rounds were mostly Faculty representatives, but they were assisted by a number of other academics and human rights lawyers who were invited by the organisers to provide a balanced and fair adjudication of the competition.
 

Top 10 English teams

Top 5 French team preliminary rounds

Top 10 English memorials:

Top 5 French Memorials:

Top French oralists:

Top English oralists

Quarter- and semi-finals (English-speaking teams)

Quarter-finalists were:

• University of Nairobi (Kenya)
• University of Cape Town (South Africa)
• Midlands State University (Zimbabwe)
• Kabarak University (Kenya)
• Ebonyi State Universtity Abaliki, Ebonyi State (Nigeria)
• Africa University (Zimbabwe)
• Daystar University (Kenya)
• Islamic University in Uganda – Female Campus (Uganda)

Semi-finalist teams were:

• Daystar University
• Ebonyi State Universtity Abaliki, Ebonyi State
• University of Nairobi
• Midlands State University

Francophone semi-finals

Semi-final I

• Université Catholique d’Afrique de l’Ouest
• Université Thomas Sankara
• Université Félix Houphouët Boigny de Cocody
• Institut Universitaire d'Abidjan

Semi-final II

• Université Thomas Sankara
• Université Félix Houphouët Boigny de Cocody

Final round

The final round on 27 July was presided over by an illustrious bench consisting of the following: Justice Imani Daud Aboud, President of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, who also acted as President of the Court as ‘seated’ in Kigali; Dr. Solomon Dersso, member and previous Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights; Dr. Aimé Muyoboke Karimunda, Rector of the Institute of Legal Practice and Development; Prof. Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen, Université Paris 1 Sorbonne;  and Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, Special Prosecutor of Ghana. Mr Prayer Nekati, registered Chartered Accountant, England and Wales, acted as auditor of the final results.  Prof Elsabe Schoeman, Dean Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the host Faculty addressed the final rounds participants.

Support

The events was made possible by the following doner support: Millennium Trust (https://www.mtrust.co.za/); the European Union through the Global Campus of Human Rights (https://gchumanrights.org/); and UNDP South Sudan, making it possible for University of Juba to be able to participate.

2025 Moot

The 2025 Christof Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition will be co-hosted by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, during the first week of July. Thus, the Moot returns to Southern Africa, after being hosted in North Africa (Egypt) in 2022, in West Africa (Ghana) in 2023, and Central/East Africa (Rwanda) in 2024.