Nairobi, Feb. 21 -- The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) appellate division on Tuesday agreed to determine if the Court's lower chamber has jurisdiction to hear the case challenging construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) from Hoima in Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.

The decision, for now, puts on hold the dismissal by a judge of the EACJ's First Instance Division who in November last year threw out the case, citing the court's lack of jurisdiction to hear it and that it was filed out of time, prompting the litigants to lodge an appeal.

In a hearing on Tuesday, a panel of the EACJ appeals division, comprising of the Court's President Justice Nestor Kayobera, Vice President Justice Anita Mugeni, Justice Kat...