EALS SET TO LAUNCH “SPOKE”

Following the controversial December 2007 General Elections in Kenya , EALS is set to launch a virtual Special Project On Kenya ( SPOKE in acronym). This is a section on the EALS website that will highlight information on the happenings in Kenya concerning the post-election crisis. It will be updated every so often. It will also feature Press releases and alerts on the situation from EALS Members and various stakeholders. In this regards, EALS is inviting comments and views on the post election crisis in Kenya . Please feel free to send your views to the Secretariat on email: editor@ealawsociety.org . In the interim, EALS is also considering a solidarity fact finding Mission to Kenya . More information on this shall be released shortly.

Meanwhile, EALS is appealing for an end to the political impasse in Kenya . EALS condemned the fraudulent elections calling on the country to adhere to the tenets of democracy. EALS President Tom Ojienda late last week further appealed for delay in the swearing in of the Members of Parliament until all political parties appoint their respective nominees (Nominated MPs) in pursuant to Section 30 and 33 of the Kenyan Constitution.

EALS HOLDS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
.........Burundi Bar Association admitted to EALS

EALS convened its 12 th Annual General Meeting and Annual Conference in Mombasa on October 26-27, 2007. In attendance were over 300 lawyers from the region and legal stakeholders from the EAC, COMESA and SADC. The theme of the Conference was “Regional Economic Integration in Sub-Saharan Africa : Emerging Opportunities.” The AGM presented an opportune time for participants to share and exchange vital experiences. The AGM saw more sessions on commercial law and law practice management discussed. Topics deliberated on included Commercializing the law firm , Challenges facing the in-house lawyer in Eastern Africa; and the Responsibility to Protect: The Role of Lawyers in Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Reconstruction in the Region (with a special focus on northern Uganda, northern Kenya, Somalia and Sudan) among others.

A past AGM meeting. On right is EALS President Tom Ojienda

An interesting issue eliciting lots of excitement was the admission of the Burundi bar association into the EALS thereby completing the cycle of Members from the EAC into the regional apex law society.

The AGM also saw the establishment of 4 new MEMBER Committees on Commercial Law , Ethics and Cross Border , In-house Lawyers and Academics respectively. Membership is open to all Members of EALS. To be considered for membership in a Committee of your choice, please send an email to eals@habari.co.tz . The new Committees join the existing Council Committees on Regional Integration, Professional Development, Human Rights and the Rights of Law and the Executive Committee.

2 nd EA CSO FORUM TAKES PLACE

EALS convened the 2 nd Annual CSO forum in November 2007. The meeting themed “ Elaborating the Human Rights System in the East African Community was attended by representatives of the civil society and legal fraternity in the region. Speaker of the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA), Hon Abdirahin Abdi was represented at the meeting by EALA Member Dr Abdalla Mwinyi, who opened the meeting. In his remarks, Dr Mwinyi termed Human Rights a key agenda of the E.A. community as is expressly provided for in Article 6 of the EAC Treaty. He noted however that there was need to put in place a mechanism to enforce Human Rights at the regional level.

Prof Haroub Othman (left), Chair of the EA-CSO Forum makes his speech at the CSO forum held in Arusha recently

Dr Mwinyi lauded the forum stating it served towards the contribution of EALS in enhancing the civil society coalescing in the EAC to be more productive and enhance the vibrancy of the same. Prof. Haroub Othman, a respected and active member of EALS and Zanzibar Law Society (ZLS), and also a Professor at University of Dar es Salaam , was elected the Chair of the EA CSO Forum. We congratulate him and assure him of our support as we strengthen the Forum to be a capable and effective organization, independent of EALS which initiated it.

Other topics of interest discussed were the zero draft towards Operationalizing the Extended Jurisdiction of the EAC, the Draft EAC Bill of Rights and Engendering the Political Process.

Participants adopted the EA-CSO constitution as a first step in its institutionalization. The institutionalization aims at establishing an independent and sustainable forum. Moreover, EALS was requested to continue playing host and facilitating work in conveying the forum.

The final report will be posted on the EALS website once ready.