News From Parliament

From the Zanzibar House of Representatives

East African judges meet in Zanzibar
THE East African Court of Justice (EACJ) judges should be prepared to handle disputes that will arise during the implementation of the East African Common market protocol.

The Zanzibar Chief Justice Mr Omar Makungu said on Monday in Zanzibar that the more individuals cooperate
chances of disagreeing also increase and therefore the regional judiciary should be prepared to handle the expected disputes.

Justice Makungu said this when opening a three-day workshop on ‘Common Market Protocol’ for the East African Judges.’ He said that the implementation of the common market protocol is likely to generate some disputes and that the judges should be prepared to deal with them.

“Continuous legal education and training is the surest way to improve judicial performance in the region,” said Justice Makungu.  He said that the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), a legal body, is of particular importance to the EAC as it seeks to deepen the integration of the partner states to facilitate free movement of goods, labour and capital.

The president of the EACJ Judge Harold Nsekela said that the court was seeking to be equipped fully and prepare adequately to deal with the challenges of admistering justice. At least 10 judges from the EACJ are attending the workshop being held at the Zanzibar beach resort.

Sea transportation to be restricted over pollution
AFRICA may in the near future declare some of its areas protected, to save environment from the impact of vessels  including pollution due to sea transportation. This was suggested yesterday during a three-day workshop on ‘Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)’ in Zanzibar.

“We need to come-up with strategies to protect our environment at the time of increasing human activity on both land and sea. The conservation is inevitable for our life and future generation,” said Captain John Paul Muindi, IMO- Kenya.
 
The director of Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) Captain King Chiragi, told reporters at the regional workshop in Zanzibar: “We need to work together, but also each country should improve marine safety and save the environment.”
 
Mr Edward Kleverlaan, from IMO-London informed participants at the workshop that shipping contributes about 2-3 per cent of the global carbon dioxide, polluting the atmosphere. “It is important to protect the environment.”

In his brief speech when opening the workshop, Zanzibar minister for Infrastructure and Communication Mr Hamad Masoud said that African countries should come-up with practical methods of protecting the environment. “Protection of the marine environment is very important to the preservation and sustainable use of marine resources in this region.”
 
He added:  “Designation of PSSA is an effective management tool at the international level for reviewing attributes within an area that are vulnerable to damage by international shipping and for determining the most appropriate protective measures available through IMO to address that vulnerability.”

Mr Hamad said that it was important to note that international shipping was set to grow further particularly considering the increase   in oil and gas exploration activities and maritime trade in the region, “therefore laying foundation for the protection of sea areas which may be damaged by shipping activities is crucial.”
 
A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an area of the marine environment that needs special protection through action by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), because of its recognized significance for ecological, socio-economic or scientific reasons, which may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities.
 
The workshop is being attended by participants from at least ten countries including Comoro, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda and host Tanzania.