Who is Justice Kaswaga, the new Judge of the African Court on Human and People's Rights

Justice Duncan Gaswaga has won the seat as Judge of the African Court on Human and People's Rights for a period of 6 years, by a majority of 46 member states, during  45th Session of the African Union  Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs underway in Accra

Who is Justice Gaswaga?

Justice Duncan Gaswaga is the Resident Judge of the Lira High Court Circuit.

Prior to that, on August 5, 2016, he was appointed as Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission in Seychelles. He initially served the Judiciary of Seychelles, first as a Magistrate and later as a Supreme Court Judge, between 2002 and 2013.

The decision to create an Anti-Corruption Commission was announced by President James Michel in his State of the Nation Address in February 2016.

He declared that the Commission would have the powers to investigate, detect and prevent practices linked to corruption. It would also receive complaints against corruption and record investigations into allegations of practices linked to corruption in any Government departments and any institutions which receive funding and donations from Government.

In 2006, Justice Gaswaga, then a Magistrate, was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Seychelles.

In 2013, he was appointed Judge of the High Court having joined the Judiciary in 1999 as a Magistrate Grade I. Prior to that, he was in private practice as an advocate in Kampala.

After the revival of the East African Community, he was elected as the first general secretary of the East African Magistrates and Judges Association for Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan judges.

The 53- year old holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dar Es Salaam University and a number of certificates and diplomas in law from other universities in Uganda, Denmark and South Africa.

****

URN