of first instance, may reasonably lead to a reconsideration of the case by a superior
jurisdiction, which requires that the latter should, in this regard, provide all
necessary guarantees of good administration of justice’.26 If the appeal procedure
did not satisfy fair trial guarantees, or if it did not provide ‘an effective, impartial
adjudication of the matter’,27 then it may not need to be exhausted. There would,
however, need to be evidence to support this.28
47. In the present case, no evidence has been led by the First Complainant to
undermine the fairness of the trial in the High Court. As a matter of fact the First
Complainant takes issue not with the regularity of procedure but rather with the
substance of the decision, which is the particularly formalistic approach of the trial
judge in arriving at their ruling. It must further be noted that even by their own
admission, the Complainants realise that whilst the decision of the High Court was
not to their liking, it is justifiable under Kenyan Law. Furthermore, the
Complainants have not tangibly demonstrated any potential for impartial
adjudication or lack of capacity to grant good administration of justice on the part
of the Appeals Court. Furthermore the potential of the Appeals Court to grant the
remedy sought by the First Complainant as set out in her prayers before the High
Court has not been contested. Based on this understanding, it is clear from the
submission that at law there is no evidence to suggest that the appeal at the First
Complainant carried no prospects of success. It must be recalled that as stated in
Sana Dumbuya v The Gambia, the Complainant bears the burden of proof to
present evidence of exhaustion of local remedies and failing which the
communication will be declared inadmissible.29The Commission is convinced that
it was concretely possible for the Appeals Court to determine whether her rights
had been violated and to access a remedy as required by Commission standards.
In this regard, the Commission takes the view that the First Complainant has not
demonstrated why it was impossible to obtain remedy via appeal and that her
fears on the usefulness of the remedy were insufficient to convince the
Commission otherwise. The Commission notes that the African Court has
previously established in Mtikila and subsequently in Konate that “there was no
need to go through the same judicial process the outcome of which was known”.30
However the Court has qualified this position to only apply in instances where
26
Communication 467/14 – Ahmed Ismael and 528 Others v. the Arab Republic of Egypt, 27 May 2016, para 163.
Communication 467/14 – Ahmed Ismael and 528 Others v. the Arab Republic of Egypt, 27 May 2016, para 166.
28
Communication 467/14 – Ahmed Ismael and 528 Others v. the Arab Republic of Egypt, 27 May 2016, para 164.
29
Communication 127/94
30
Actions pour la Protection des Droits de l’Homme (APDH) v Côte d’Ivoire (2016) 1 AfCLR 668, para 103
27
14