Ugandan sworn in as new Judge of African Court in Arusha

ARUSHA: THE newly elected Judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Justice Duncan Gaswaga, has been sworn in to assume the roles of the judge of the court in Arusha.

Immediately after taking an oath of office, Justice Gaswaga started overseeing six new court sessions in which four judgements are to be delivered.

Justice Gaswaga who hails from the High Court of Uganda, takes over the mantle from former ACHPR Judge, Ben Kioko who served the regional facility for the last twelve years.

“Being one of the eleven judges of the coveted Pan African Legal facility is a great honour,” said Judge Gaswaga, adding that the continent faces a number of issues especially those pertaining to human rights and good governance.

“But I am up for the challenge, having gathered experience from various areas including Europe and elsewhere in the world,” stated Justice Gaswaga, who also happens to be the product of the University of Dar es Salaam.

The President of the African Court, Lady Justice Iman Aboud said Gaswaga brings new experience and adds to the list of the team of Anglophonic judges who are now six.

“The court is usually made up of a panel of eleven judges,” said Lady Justice Aboud.

Based in Arusha-Tanzania, the African Court is also delivering six (6) judgments, at its main seating in the city within the course of this week.

The court held a public hearing on application Number 019 of 2018 (Centre for Human Rights and Others versus United Republic of Tanzania), on Tuesday.

All three proceedings are among the events taking place at the court premises in Arusha held during the 74th Ordinary Session of the Court which runs from the second day of September 2024, to the 27th.

Justice Gaswaga is a Judge of the High Court of the Republic of Uganda where he has headed Circuits and Divisions including the Executions and Bailiffs, and the Commercial Divisions for the last eleven years.

He is also attached to the International Crimes Division (ICD) of Uganda which deals with international crimes and was one of the four Judges who last week concluded the case of Uganda Vs Thomas Kwoyelo (a former abductee and later, Lord’s Resistance Army top Commander), charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This was the first case of its kind on the African continent to be conducted under the complementarity principle of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Justice Gaswaga is also a Fellow of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Halifax, Canada and an international Resource Person in many areas of law.

He is an inspirational speaker and offers career guidance to law students and young professionals internationally.

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Justice Gaswaga holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB, Hons), Dar-Es-Salaam University, Tanzania, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, LDC Uganda, a Master’s Degree (LLM) with Distinction in Human Rights Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa and Master’s Degree (LLM) in International Criminal Law, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Ohio in USA. His Lordship also holds a string of Diplomas and Certificates from Institutions in Africa, India and Europe.

Justice Gaswaga was appointed the first Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission of the Republic of Seychelles (2016 to 2021) and by the end of his tenure, (as per the Corruption perception index of Transparency International, 2021) Seychelles was the least corrupt Nation in Africa and ranking No.43 in the world.