As the world observes International Day of Women Judges, on March 10, it is important to note that the judiciary sector which was historically dominated by men, now has women breaking through the barriers and making significant strides as judges. The International Day of Women Judges was established in 2013 by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) to celebrate the contributions of women judges in promoting the rule of law and equal justice. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s top female referees Several Rwandan women have paved the way for other female judges, shattering the glass ceiling in the previously male-dominated field. Here, in no particular order, we take a look at some of the top female judges in the country who are inspiring the younger generation and shaping Rwanda's judiciary system. ALSO READ: New policy to address gender gaps in EAC judicial Justice Marie Thérèse Mukamulisa Deputy Chief Justice Marie Thérèse Mukamulisa, born in 1962, has been a Judge of the Supreme Court of Rwanda since 2003. She was the first Rwandan female to serve as a Judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in 2016. She is also a member of the High Judicial Council of Rwanda since 2015, as well as member of regional and international networks of Judges such as IHNJ [International Hague Network of Judges]. Before her appointment as a Judge, she has occupied high positions including one of 12 commissioners who drafted the Rwandan post-genocide Constitution. She has been a visiting lecturer – in comparative law – at the University of Rwanda, Legal Counsel and Executive Secretary of CCOAIB, an umbrella group of NGOs in Rwanda, and SONARWA. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s top 5 female surgeons Following her law degree (Civil Law) from the former National University of Rwanda, she received an LLB (Common law) from the University of Moncton in New Brunswick. She also holds also a Masters in Genocide Studies and Prevention from the Center for Conflict Management at the National University of Rwanda (CCM-NUR). Justice Immaculée Nyirinkwaya Nyirinkwaya is a Supreme Court Judge. Born in 1958, she was the first female appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Rwanda in 1995. Nyirinkwaya has a law degree (Commercial Law) obtained from the University of Paris II-Assas in 1982. She also received an LLB (Insurance Law). She worked in various positions in Rwanda, and France. She was an employee in the insurance business office at the Organization Nouvelle d'Assurances, an employee in legal services at the French Aviation Agency, an employee at the National Insurance Company of Zurich in France, Director of Litigation at SONARWA, among others. ALSO READ: Prioritize addressing gaps in justice system, Kagame tells new judges Justice Aloysie Cyanzayire Cyanzayire is also a Supreme Court Judge. Born in 1964, she is an eminent judge who presided over the Rwandan Supreme Court. She was the first female justice elected as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rwanda in 2003. She is the eldest child in a family of eight with hardworking parents who pushed her to work hard with diligence and endurance. She succeeded in school in an era when access to education for girls was difficult. She served in many roles in the Ministry of Justice, first as Director of Public Prosecutions and relations with the Judicial Services, then as Director of Legal Drafting, and finally as Secretary-General of the Ministry, from 1995 to 2000. In her role as the Director of Legal drafting, she initiated and drafted laws that allowed for the trial of genocide suspects. She also worked for the reconstruction of Rwanda, including actions such as the abolition of discriminatory laws against women and in the drafting of laws allowing women to have the right to succeed as men, and the mobilization of women to enter the judiciary. ALSO READ: African rights court gets more female judges Justice Agnes Nyirandabaruta She is the Vice President of the Court of Appeal since 2020. Nyirandabaruta joined the Judiciary in 2004 as a judge in the High Court, then went on to become an Inspector of Courts for eight years. In 2015, Nyirandabaruta was promoted to the Supreme Court, and after the establishment of the Court of Appeal, in 2018, she became one of the 13 members. Before joining the Judiciary, she was a lawyer in the former Kigali Bar Association, from 1997 to 2001. She also worked at Village Urugwiro, where she was in charge of legal affairs. Nyirandabaruta went on to become the Director General in charge of Legal, Legislative and Constitutional Affairs. She is among the judges who built the country’s Judiciary after the judicial reforms of 2003-2004. She has a Bachelor degree obtained from the University of Lubumbashi, in DR Congo, in 1996, and is now nearly completing a Master’s in Public International Law. Justice Clotilde Mukamurera Now President of the Commercial High Court of Rwanda, Mukamurera began her judiciary career in 2000 as a Judge at Gisenyi Intermediate Court and later became Vice President of the Rusizi Intermediate Court. The 52-year-old is a graduate of the University of Rwanda and has a LLM degree in Business law from the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. She has also trained in banking, procurement, arbitration, leasing and intellectual property. Mukamurera served as a member of the High Council of the Judiciary of Rwanda from 2008 to 2015. ALSO READ: Rwandan Judge elected to COMESA court Justice Angeline Rutazana Rutazana is the Inspector General of Courts in Rwanda. In September 2012, Rutazana who was then the president of Rwanda Judges and Registrars Association, was elected as the regional representative of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA) for a three-year term. Her appointment was in recognition of Rwanda’s distinguished success in gender promotion. On the council, Rutazana was the association’s gender representative for the East, Central and Southern Africa region, where she was in charge of ensuring gender promotion among member states. Justice Anita Mugeni Born May 1970, Mugeni was appointed a Judge to East African Court of Justice Appellate Division in February 2021. She holds a Master’s Degree in Law (LLM), FUSL-UC Louvain, Belgium (2005); a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) from the National University of Rwanda (NUR, 1996), and she is a senior member of the Rwandan bar with a great training and experience in the civil law system. She started her legal practice as an advocate in January 1998 working her way up as one of the most prolific commercial and litigation attorneys in Rwanda. Previously, Justice Mugeni worked on many commercial transaction advisory cases including dispute resolution, due diligence and insolvencies. She is one of the founding partners of MRB Attorneys. She has served as acting President of the Rwanda Bar Association (RBA), served as Dean and Council member of RBA, Council member of the East African Law Society, a commissioner of the Public service commission, a commissioner of the National Consultative Committee on EAC Political Federation, among others. Currently, 144 female judges make up 45.7 percent of the Judiciary of Rwanda while male judges account for 54.3 percent.
