{{The secretary general of the East African Community (EAC) has asked the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to dismiss a suit filed by a former employee of the intergovernmental organisation as a result of a dispute over the duration of her contract.}}
Ms Angella Amudo, who had been a project accountant at the EAC, filed a claim against the EAC secretary general, alleging that she was employed as a professional staff accountant and was therefore entitled to a five-year contract renewable once under the EAC Staff Rules and Regulations.
However, she alleged the Secretary General illegally caused her to sign a contract for twenty two months instead of the five years and has thus sought the Court’s intervention.
Appearing in the EACJ on behalf of the secretary general , Mr Stephen Agaba, however, asked the court to dismiss the claim with costs, contending that it was time-barred under Article 30 (2) of the EAC Treaty, which provides a time limit of two months for a case to be filed in Court from the day in which the dispute arose or from the day it first came to the knowledge of the claimant.
The advocate for the respondent, Mr James Nangwala, opposed the submissions of the applicant and stated that the claim “is properly” before the court under Article 31 of the Treaty, which provides the court the jurisdiction to determine any dispute between the EAC and its employees without regard to the two months’ time limit.
He therefore asked the court to uphold the claim and dismiss the application by the EAC. The Court will deliver its ruling on 2 May 2013.
{Thecitizen}
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