KajyibwamiNotes

  In international law, jurisdiction is not a matter of moral confidence; it is a matter of legal authority. Yet recent interventions by the European Parliament in Rwanda’s domestic judicial affairs suggest a troubling assumption that political conviction can substitute for jurisdiction. Through resolutions, hearings, and public condemnations—most recently regarding the case of Victoire Ingabire—the European Parliament has increasingly positioned itself as an external reviewer of Rwanda’s courts. This posture may resonate politically in Brussels, but it is legally unsound and normatively problematic.   Rwanda is not a member of the European Union, nor is it subject to the European Parliament’s institutional competence. Its judiciary derives its authority from its Constitution, its laws, and its sovereign right to administer justice within its territory. Treating European parliamentary debate as a form of appellate oversight of Rwandan courts misunderstands both the lim...

  Two women, one child, and a decision that could change a life. Imagine standing in Solomon’s courtroom, hearing two competing claims with no witnesses, no documents, and no clear path to the truth. How would you decide?   King Solomon, renowned for wisdom, did not rely on procedure alone. Instead, he crafted a test: he suggested the child be divided in two. One woman immediately protested, saying the child should be spared, even if it meant losing her claim. In that moment, Solomon discerned the true mother and returned the child to her care.   This story, though ancient, holds a timeless lesson for today’s aspiring judges, particularly young Christian lawyers: judging is as much about wisdom, character, and discernment as it is about law.   Modern scholars, including L.H. LaRue and Lawrence C. George, have reflected on Solomon’s judgment as an early model of judicial discretion—deciding in moments of uncertainty and using insight to uncover truth. So...

    Delays in criminal justice are rarely caused by a lack of law. More often, they result from procedures that are ill-suited to the volume and complexity of cases before the courts. Rwanda ’s recent experience with plea bargaining demonstrates how carefully designed legal frameworks, when combined with institutional training and consistent application, can produce tangible results in reducing case backlogs.   The convergence of statutory reform, judicial practice directions, professional capacity-building, and emerging court statistics now provides a compelling picture of plea bargaining as a functional alternative to trial rather than a theoretical policy tool.   A Legal Framework Built for Efficiency   The reintroduction of plea bargaining under the Criminal Procedure Code of 2019 laid the statutory foundation for negotiated justice in Rwanda. This framework was further operationalized by the Practice Directions of the President of the Supr...

In many political systems, particularly in Africa, a law degree is often perceived as a natural qualification for leadership. Lawyers are assumed to understand institutions, constitutional limits, rights, and procedures. As a result, when legally trained politicians fail to translate popularity into power or principle into policy, public frustration is acute. The central question, therefore, is not whether legal knowledge matters in politics, but why it so often fails to produce effective political strategy.   The experience of Bobi Wine in Uganda provides a useful point of departure. His case is not exceptional because he lacks legal training, but because he possesses it. Yet his political trajectory illustrates a broader misconception: that understanding the law is equivalent to knowing how to win, negotiate, or govern.   Legal education is fundamentally technical. It trains individuals to interpret rules, construct arguments, and operate within established institu...

  One of the most persistent analytical errors in discussions on African integration is the assumption that unity can be engineered through grand institutional designs alone—a single currency, open borders, or continent-wide economic blocs. This thinking, while well intentioned, mistakes outcomes for prerequisites. In reality, Africa’s central challenge is not the absence of ambitious integration projects, but the absence of a shared political foundation capable of sustaining them. The dominant narrative suggests that Africa should simply “do what Europe did”: adopt a common currency, allow free movement of people, and centralize decision-making through supranational institutions. Yet this comparison overlooks a fundamental difference. European integration was not merely a technical or economic exercise; it was a deeply political project rooted in a shared post-war consensus, stable state institutions, and relatively predictable systems of governance. Africa, by contrast, continu...

Inspired by William A. Herin, “The Trial of Jesus,” Florida Law Review, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (1954), https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/flr/vol7/iss1/3 The trial of Jesus of Nazareth, nearly two millennia ago, stands as one of the most compelling illustrations of judicial failure in recorded history. As William A. Herin meticulously examines in his seminal article, The Trial of Jesus , the procedures employed in both Jewish and Roman legal systems were systematically ignored, resulting in the execution of an innocent man. Reflecting on these events provides not only historical insight but enduring lessons for modern legal practice. Jewish Legal Safeguards Under Jewish law, as Herin highlights, the protection of human life was paramount. Conviction for a capital offense required the testimony of at least two witnesses; one witness was equivalent to none. The accused could employ counsel, was presumed innocent, and could not be compelled to testify against himself. Circumstantial evidence was in...

  In the digital age, attention has become one of the most valuable economic resources. Platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and podcasts are no longer merely spaces for entertainment; they are global marketplaces where attention is converted into revenue, influence, and long-term economic power. This system—commonly described as the attention economy—rewards those who can consistently attract, retain, and monetize public attention through digital content. A compelling illustration of this phenomenon is the rise of the American YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who has built an estimated USD 5 billion empire almost entirely from content. His trajectory demonstrates that creativity, when combined with scale, legal certainty, and monetization infrastructure, can evolve into a globally competitive industry. While MrBeast’s success is often viewed as an individual story, it is in fact a product of an ecosystem that recognizes content as intellectual property, supports platfo...

  The rule of law is often described as the backbone of good governance, yet for many people it remains an abstract legal concept. In Rwanda, the Rwanda Governance Scorecard (RGS), published by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), helps translate this idea into measurable reality by assessing how governance principles operate in practice. The RGS is a national index designed to generate credible and reliable data on governance performance. Its primary purpose is to support evidence-based policymaking, decision-making, and implementation. By examining multiple governance pillars, the Scorecard provides insight into how legal, political, and institutional systems function from the perspective of citizens and institutions alike. What Does the Rule of Law Mean? At its core, the rule of law means that everyone—citizens and government institutions alike—is subject to the law. Laws must be clear, publicly known, and applied equally, while disputes should be resolved by independent and c...

  I. Introduction   The United States’ pursuit of Nicolás Maduro presents a rare convergence of criminal prosecution, recognition politics, and the international law governing the use of force. Beginning with the Department of Justice indictments announced in March 2020 and culminating in Maduro’s capture and transfer to the United States in January 2026, the case raises fundamental questions about extraterritorial jurisdiction, head-of-state immunity, and the limits of enforcing domestic law beyond national borders.   The indictments accused Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials of narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking, weapons offenses, money laundering, and sanctions evasion. As a matter of U.S. domestic law, the prosecution relied on established theories of extraterritorial jurisdiction and was framed as a law-enforcement response to transnational criminal harm. Yet the legal viability of the case depended critically on the United States’ decision to withdraw reco...

  In the early hours of 3 January 2026, the international legal order faced one of its most serious tests in recent decades when the United States launched a large-scale military operation on Venezuelan territory, culminating in the capture of sitting President Nicolás Maduro and his forcible transfer to the United States to face criminal charges. The operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, involved extensive airstrikes across northern Venezuela, the deployment of special forces in Caracas, and resulted in civilian and military casualties. U.S. officials justified the action primarily on the basis that Maduro presided over a “narco-state” and personally facilitated the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. Yet when examined through the framework of international law, the operation represents a clear and multifaceted violation of foundational legal principles governing the use of force, sovereignty, and non-intervention.   The legal analysis must begin with Arti...