Benjamin Josses Odoki
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Benjamin Josses Odoki (born 23 March 1943) is a former
Chief Justice 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 ...
, former Supreme Court Justice of
Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
, and current Chairman of the Committee of Constitutional Experts for Drafting the EAC Political Federation Constitution, the committee drafting the constitution for the East African Confederation. Odoki served as the tenth
Chief Justice 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 2001 to 2013 after fifteen years as a Judge on 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 ...
. He was a State Attorney of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
previous to his appointment to the court in 1986.


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, Namayingo District to the south, and to the south-west, and Bugiri District to the wes ...
, in the
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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 roa ...
, in
Wakiso District Wakiso District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira Town, Kira, the count ...
, 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 A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
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 offi ...
, 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 lead ...
in Kampala. In 1974, he achieved a Certificate in Development Studies from the University of Sussex, a Certificate in International Law from
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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, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
. 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
Chief Justice 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 ...
in 2001, serving in that capacity until his mandatory retirement at the age of 70 on 23 March 23, 2013. However, he served a three months extension until 23 June 2013. The extension was controversial and generated mixed reactions from the public. He formerly served as a Vice president/ Judge of the Administrative Tribunal of the
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and Judge of the Supreme Court of Eswatini.


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 (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...
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.


See also

*
Government of Uganda The politics of Uganda occurs in an Authoritarianism, authoritarian context. Since assuming office in 1986 at the end of the Ugandan Bush War, Ugandan civil war, Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda as an Autocracy, autocrat. Political party, Politi ...
*
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 ...


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 Chief justices of Uganda Law Development Centre alumni People from Busia District, Uganda University of Dar es Salaam alumni 21st-century Ugandan judges Academic staff of Makerere University Academic staff of the Law Development Centre