About us

The Eastern Africa Association of Prosecutors (EAAP) is a regional professional body that brings together prosecutorial authorities across the Eastern Africa region, united by a shared commitment to upholding the rule of law and advancing excellence, independence, and integrity in prosecution.

EAAP is committed to setting, promoting, and continuously strengthening professional prosecutorial standards and conduct, while advancing effective mutual legal assistance and judicial cooperation among Member States. Through enhanced collaboration, the Association enables coordinated responses to cross-border criminality and evolving forms of crime that transcend national jurisdictions.

EAAP facilitates practical legal cooperation mechanisms, including information-sharing, joint investigations, and targeted capacity-building, to enhance the effectiveness of prosecutions in transnational organised crime, financial and cybercrime, terrorism, corruption, trafficking in persons, wildlife and environmental crime, and other emerging threats.

The Eastern Africa Association of Prosecutors (EAAP) was established in 2010 as a regional association of national prosecution authorities, operating on a corporate membership model. Its founding members comprised the national prosecuting authorities of the East African Community (EAC) namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Following its independence and admission into the EAC, South Sudan was subsequently incorporated into the Association.

Recognising the evolving nature of transnational organised crime, whose scale and complexity increasingly transcended the EAC framework, the Association resolved to broaden its regional scope in order to strengthen prosecutorial cooperation beyond EAC borders. Accordingly, during the 8 th EAAP Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Diani, Kenya, in 2019, Members agreed to expand EAAP’s membership to encompass the wider Eastern Africa Region.

This resolution was operationalised at the 9 th AGM held in Arusha, Tanzania, in 2021, where the national prosecuting authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia were formally admitted into the Association. Further expansion followed at the 10 th General Assembly held in Kampala on 28 th February 2023, which admitted Seychelles, Somalia, and Sudan, subject to the regularisation of their membership status. As a result of this progressive expansion, EAAP currently comprises fourteen (14) national prosecuting authorities from Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

To reflect its expanded geographical and strategic mandate, the Association formally changed its name from the East Africa Association of Prosecutors to the “Eastern Africa Association of Prosecutors”. At the same sitting, the Association adopted a revised Constitution, designed to accommodate its broadened membership, strengthen its governance framework, and enhance the effectiveness and responsiveness of the Association.

The Eastern Africa Association of Prosecutors is an independent, non-profit, and non- political professional body. Its mandate is to promote, strengthen, and institutionalise cooperation among national prosecuting authorities within the Eastern Africa Region.

In furtherance of this mandate, EAAP seeks to:

1. Facilitate mutual legal assistance and judicial cooperation in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of crime;

2. Enhance coordinated prosecutorial responses to transnational organised crime and emerging criminal trends, including complex cross-border and technologically enabled offences;

3. Promote harmonised prosecutorial standards, best practices, and professional ethics;

4. Support capacity-building, knowledge exchange, and peer learning among Member States; and

5. Provide a structured platform for legal and technical assistance in matters of regional prosecutorial concern.

Our Vision and Mission

Our Objectives