Benjamin Josses Odoki (born 23 March 1943) was the tenth

Chief Justice of Uganda The Supreme Court of Uganda is the highest court, judicial organ in Uganda. It derives its powers from Article 130 of the Constitution of Uganda, 1995 Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court with original jurisdiction in only one type of ...

from 2001 to 2013.

Background and education

He was born in ''Dhaka Village'',

Busia District Busia District is a district in the Eastern region of Uganda. Location Busia District borders Tororo District to the north, Busia County, Kenya to the east, amyingoto the south, and to the south-west, and Bugiri District to the west. Busia, Ug ...

, in the Eastern Region of Uganda, on 23 March 1943, in a family with modest means. He studied at

King's College, Budo King’s College Budo is a mixed, residential, secondary school in Central Uganda (Buganda). Location The school is located on Naggalabi Hill, in southern Wakiso District, off the Kampala-Masaka Road. This location lies approximately , by road, ...

, in

Wakiso District Wakiso District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira, the country's second largest city and suburb of Kampala, is in ...

, for his secondary school education. He was admitted to the University College, Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree in 1969. Later, he received a

Diploma in Legal Practice A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

, from the

Law Development Centre The Law Development Centre (LDC) is an educational institution in Uganda for higher learning that offers various legal courses ranging from one month to one year. Overview The LDC is the only institution in Uganda that offers the Bar Course leadi ...

in Kampala. In 1974, he achieved a Certificate in Development Studies from the University of Sussex, a Certificate in International Law from

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

in 1975 and a Doctor of Law (LL.D) Degree (Honoris Causa) from the Commonwealth University Belize in London.

Career before judgeship

He returned to Uganda after his studies in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. In 1969 he became an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and was called to the Uganda Bar. The following year, he was appointed a State Attorney and was later promoted to Senior State Attorney a few years later. He also served as Director of the Uganda Law Development Centre.

Career as a judge

In 1978, at the age of 35 years, he was appointed as a judge to the High Court of Uganda. From 1981 until 1984 was seconded to serve as the Director of Public Prosecutions. In 1986 he was appointed as a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Uganda The Supreme Court of Uganda is the highest judicial organ in Uganda. It derives its powers from Article 130 of the 1995 Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court with original jurisdiction in only one type of case: a presidential electi ...

. From 1996 to 2000, he served as Chairman of the Judicial Service Commission. He became the

in 2001, serving in that capacity until his mandatory retirement at the age of 70 on 23 March 23, 2013. He did however serve a three months extension until 23 June 2013 however the extension was controversial and generated mixed reactions from the public. He is currently serves as a Vice president/ Judge of the Administrative Tribunal of the African Development Bank and Judge of the Supreme Court of Swaziland.

Family

He is married with to Veronica Odoki, and is the father of four adult; Peter Odoki, Phillip Odoki, Dorah Odoki and Joshua Odoki.

Other considerations

He at one time taught at

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

Faculty of Law and at the Law Development Centre. He served as the chairperson of the Editorial Board of the Uganda Law Reports. He has written a number of books and has published articles on a number of subjects, including constitutional development, human rights and criminal justice.

Awards

In 2012 he received the Gusi Peace Prize International Award in Manila at the Philippine International Convention Centre for Social Justice and Humaritarian Law. He also has the Distinguished Jurist Award by the Nigerian Association of Democratic Lawyers.

References

External links

The Judiciary of Uganda HomepageUganda Online Law Library - Courts and JudicatureUganda Online Law Library - Supreme Court of Uganda Rules - 76 pp pdfUganda Legal Information InstituteUganda Legal SocietyEast African Law Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odoki, Benjamin Josses 1943 births Living people 20th-century Ugandan judges People from Eastern Region, Uganda Chief justices of Uganda Law Development Centre alumni People from Busia District, Uganda University of Dar es Salaam alumni 21st-century Ugandan judges Makerere University academics Law Development Centre academics