In 2024, there are three positions of Judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Court that need to be filled. The African Union policy organs will be electing three Judges later in July. In anticipation of these elections, the Arusha Initiative is collaborating with three academic institutions (the University of Pretoria (Centre for Human Rights), Makerere University (Human Rights and Peace Center (HURIPEC)), and Kabarak University (School of Law), to co-host a webinar on this topic. The Arusha Initiative is a Civil Society Organisations (CSO) led rights-holders movement advocating for a more transparent, participatory and merits-based process in the nomination and selection of African Union (AU) human rights bodies.
Event Information
Wednesday, 10 July 2024
13:00 - 14:30 SAST / 14:00 -15:30 (EAT)
Online (Zoom)
The webinar aims to provide more insight into the process on the nomination and selection of the members of African human rights bodies, which has thus far been opaque and inaccessible to ordinary Africans. The webinar also aims to generate more public discussion and raise greater awareness about these crucial appointments. Ultimately, the idea is to bring the AU institutions closer to the people of Africa; and to strengthen the authority and legitimacy of the CAU human rights bodies, including the Court, by encouraging a more inclusive and participatory process of nomination and selection of important AU positions.
Having served for two terms on the Court (as ‘East African male’ Judge), Judge Ben Kioko is not eligible for re-election. Having served for just one term, two other Judges, Justice Blaise Tchikaya (elected as ‘male Central African Judge’), and Justice Stella Anukam (elected as ‘female West African Judge’) are eligible for re-election and have been nominated.
- Justice Tchikaya is unopposed, in the upcoming AU elections, as no other male candidate from Central Africa has been nominated.
- Apart from Justice Anukam, another woman from West Africa (Justice Marie Odile Thiakane Ndiaye from the Labour Court in Senegal) has been nominated.
- In East Africa, two male candidates (High Court Judge Duncan Gaswaga from Uganda, who among others was on the bench of Uganda v Kwoyelo (The Republic of Uganda in the High Court of Uganda at Gulu [International Crimes Division], 13 December 2023) and Samuel Kimeu, previously a member of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption; and Executive Director, Transparency International-Kenya (2010-2020), and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (2005-2006)) have been nominated.
The webinar will provide an opportunity to reflect on the suitability of these andidates, assessed against the criteria in the Court Protocol.
