Senate endorses law reform commission

Senate has passed a bill establishing the Law Reform Commission that would keep the laws under review and make recommendations for its reform. The bill was tabled before the Senate on Friday by the Minister of Justice, Tharcisse Karugarama. He said that the commission was established in 2001 but was interrupted later on in 2003. “Some of the laws that were amended by that commission led to the amendment of several other laws including those related to justice among others,” Karugarama told the Senate. He also said that after the nullification of the commission, there merged the amendment of several other laws related to trade. “Another commission was later set up to review the laws that were being amended but it emerged that those laws that came up on a later stage were not well drafted since it would duplicate laws of other countries which would not match with the Rwandan context.” It is in this context that the government decided to establish a permanent commission that would be mandated to continuously follow up the law amendment process. The overall function of the commission is to keep the law under review and to undertake examinations and conduct research with a view to reforming the law and to formulate proposals for law reform. Other duties of the commission would be simplifying and modernising the law, looking into obsolete or unnecessary laws, and eliminating defects in the law and suggest new or more effective methods for administering the law among others. If the commission is established, it would be an independent statutory corporate body. Ends