MOMBASA - More than 600 lawyers from East African Community (EAC) states are meeting in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa to discuss African continent free trade.
The theme of the conference is “African Continental Free Trade Area: Challenges and Opportunities for the Legal Profession”.
The East Africa Law Society President Richard Mugisha said the event’s theme was as a result of the current cross-border trade revolution in the continent.
The delegates, from across all six-member bar associations among them the Law Society of Kenya, Uganda Law Society, Tanganyika Law Society, Rwanda Bar Association, Burundi Bar Association and Zanzibar Law Society.
Key in their discussion is the rule of law, professional development, justice administration, regional integration, gender and youth mainstreaming and business and human rights.
“The legal profession plays a leading role in shaping policies and laws governing commerce, and lawyers must be at the frontline in understanding the components of the regional and continental trade pacts,” said Mugisha.
“The agreement that our countries have gotten into matters; trade requires guidance and the bulk of that work rests with lawyers. We are focused in ensuring business is done smoothly among our countries,” he said.
Law Society of Kenya President Allen Gichuhi noted that the region has in the past been getting a raw deal from foreign countries.
