The paradox of constitutional supremacy and power struggle in the east african community: an empirical reflection of rwanda, burundi and Uganda

Under constitutional supremacy doctrine, if a law or contract violates any norm of the Constitution, that law or contract, whether promulgated by the parliament or by the executive branch or entered into by private persons for private purposes, is null and void and without any force and effect. In this line of argument, the Constitution is the basic and paramount law to which all other laws must conform and to which all persons, including the highest officials of the land, must defer. Despite this constitutional guide the perplexing scenario has been the expediency to sap this constitutional strength for gluttony of leadership power which has debased its rectitude in the practice of some of the EAC member states. A reflection of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi points to the truth that constitutions have been amended egoistically to legitimize power in the name of the will of the people. This has generated constitutions that focuses on the interest of leaders rather than citizen and has necessitated compliance under constitutional authority. This paper recommends that an ethical understanding of constitutional building process that genuinely integrate the will of the people should be capitalize and regional and global effort should come together recall for respect of appropriate constitutional building processes in some of the East African Community member states.