Using courts of law to tackle poverty and social exclusion: The case of post-2010 Kenya

No Abstrac

Exploring the Multiple Paradoxes and Challenges of Uganda\u27s Refugee Law, Policies and Practice

Uganda has garnered considerable international praise for its ‘open-door’ policies on refugees. This is particularly the case against the backdrop of a global context of the growing phenomenon of states constructing physical and metaphorical walls against the phenomenon of migration, whether forced or voluntary. Nevertheless, such praise conceals a much more complex context of opportunistic strategizing, donor politics and regional geopolitical balancing. In sum, what is lauded as ‘progressive’ is much more problematic and nuanced, especially with respect to the issue of local integration (particularly for long-term refugees), voluntary repatriation and the management and funding of refugee support

When Courts do Politics: Public Interest Law and Litigation in East Africa by J Oloka- Onyango

An all-too-simplistic appreciation of the relationship among the three arms of government should be excluded in order to get the gist of Oloka’s writing. He pulls apart the idea that courts simply interpret the law, keeping off from legislative and executive duties. Instead, the author introduces the notion that courts are not insulated from the ‘waves of politics’. In this regard, he invites scrutiny of their powers: of judicial review, to declare a law invalid, to appoint and vet judges, and to interpret the constitution. These defy a purist understanding of the classical separation of powers theory which holds that ‘judges should just judge’ and in this sense avoid upsetting the status quo