The new Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo and his Deputy Marie-Thérèse Mukamulisa will this Friday, December 6, be sworn in to begin their respective five-year terms. They will replace Sam Rugege and his deputy Sylvie Zainabo Kayitesi who have both concluded their eight-year non-renewable term. Unlike their predecessors, Ntezilyayo and his Deputy will be eligible for another term of five years, should the appointing authority, in consultation with the High Council of the Judiciary, find them eligible. READ ALSO: My time as Chief Justice has been a learning experience – Prof Rugege The swearing-in follows the confirmation of the duo by the Senate on Thursday, during which members of the Upper Chamber of Parliament gave their nod to the duo. The senate endorsement came on the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Political and Governance Affairs, which had scrutinised the resumes of the two leaders. Addressing the senate plenary, Senator Lambert Dushimimana said that both Ntezilyayo and Mukamulisa had a wealth of knowledge and experience that will enable them to discharge their duties as Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, respectively. The swearing-in ceremony will on Friday morning be presided over by President Paul Kagame at parliament. Ntezilyayo was until his appointment a Judge at the East African Court of Justice, a visiting lecturer of law at the University of Rwanda, School of Law and the Director of the Centre for Trade and Investment Law and Policy. He has also previously served as the Minister of Justice and Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda. Mukamulisa has been a judge at the Tanzania-based African Court on Human and Peoples Rights since 2016 and has also been a Justice at the Supreme Court. The two were appointed by President Kagame this week on Wednesday.
