Former general prosecutor of Rwanda Martin Ngoga has been elected as Member of Parliament of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Ngoga, a candidate from the ruling party (RPF) replaces Sheikh Abdul Karim Harerimana who resigned last month citing personal reasons.
Ngoga obtained 83 votes out of the 89 voters. His rival, Jennifer Wibabara from RPF secretariat who obtained six votes.
Ngoga will serve a five year term renewable once according to the EAC treaty. Prior to this position, he served the country and the region in different capacities.
He started as a provincial prosecutor between 1996-1999 before being appointed special representative of Rwanda at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for four years-1999-2003.
He was appointed the Deputy Prosecutor General between 2003-2006 then Prosecutor General up to 2013.
His election happens a few weeks after he has concluded another assignment to chair a commission of inquiry instituted to investigate the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for allegedly undermining and denying the genocide against the Tutsi through the “Rwanda Untold Story” documentary.
On February 28, 2015, the commission concluded its investigation and recommended the agreement between Rwanda and BBC to operate in Rwanda be terminated.
“I am going to join others there before me to help in a common goal for the country and the region,” he told KTPress shortly after his election.
Every country in the East African Community is entitled to nine members at EALA.
