Kigali, 8 December 2011
President Kagame today received the outgoing Chief Justice, Aloysea Cyanzayire, who called to thank him for his unwavering support to the judiciary. Aloysea Cyanzaire’s 8-year non-renewable term of service ends this month and Cabinet on Wednesday December 7 nominated Prof. Sam Rugege as the new Chief Justice.
During the meeting, Aloysea Cyanzaire thanked President Kagame for his constructive contribution towards the building of a strong judiciary, which she said helped put the institution where it is today.
The outgoing Chief Justice pointed out that with support from President Kagame and the government, the Judiciary has been able to emerge from the situation it was in, in 1994, to become one of the best performing institutions in the region, especially in the use of ICT to deliver justice.
Ms Cyanzaire said that other areas where the Judiciary registered great success include capacity-building, where a big number of judicial staff have been able to acquire skills and experience. This has contributed to the general improvement of service delivery. She also said that the rehabilitation and construction of court premises all over the country have had a big impact on the strengthening of the judiciary.
The Chief Justice told President Kagame that the Judiciary still faces a few challenges, including the big number of outstanding cases and lack of highly experienced staff. Nonetheless, she pointed out that strategies were being devised to address them.
President Kagame thanked Cyanzayire for her services to her country and also pledged his and government’s continued support in building a strong judiciary that will serve Rwandans better.