This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
On June 4, 2020, the Appellate Division of the East Africa Court of Justice delivered a verdict dismissing an appeal by the government of Burundi against the election of Martin Ngoga as the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
The court ruled that the appeal was contrary to Article 35 of the EAC Treaty, which requires appeals to be based on matters of law and procedural errors.
Ngoga, a Rwandan, was elected as the EALA Speaker in December 2017. The Burundi government had challenged his election, citing irregularities and a lack of quorum during the voting process.
However, the First Instance Division of the court had previously dismissed the case, stating that the Burundi government had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its claims.
The Burundi government had appealed the decision, arguing that the court had erred in law and that the election of the Speaker was invalid due to a lack of quorum.
However, the Appellate Division upheld the decision of the First Instance Division, dismissing the appeal with costs to the respondent, the East African Community Secretary General, and the intervener, Fred Mbidde, representing Burundi.
