Kenneth Andrew Charles Benjamin (born 19 March 1955) is a Caribbean jurist. A

dual national Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one country under its nationality and citizenship law as a national or citizen of that country. There is no ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

and

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

, he served as

Chief Justice of Belize The chief justice of Belize is the head of the Supreme Court of Belize. Under Chapter 7 of the Constitution of Belize, the chief justice is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the prime minister. Since the retirement of Kenneth ...

from 15 September 2011 to 20 March 2020.

Career

Benjamin was born on 19 March 1955 in

Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is ...

. In 1980 and 1981, Benjamin served as a magistrate in

. He went on to serve as Assistant Judge Advocate for the

Guyana Defence Force The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is the military of Guyana, established in 1965. It has military bases across the nation. The Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force is always the incumbent President of Guyana. The branches include the Army, Air F ...

. From 1988, he continued his work as a judge in

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

, including from 1991 to 1993 as Chief Magistrate of

. Following that, he was named as a judge of the High Court of the

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...

. In this capacity he served in

Montserrat Montserrat ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, wit ...

and the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

in the succeeding years. From 2002 to 2007, Benjamin's position as ECSC High Court Judge took him to

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

; he was succeeded there by Francis Cumberbatch. In 2007, he relocated to

St. Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

to become the presiding judge of the High Court of St. Lucia's criminal division. In July 2011, following the retirement of

Abdulai Conteh Abdulai Osman Conteh (5 August 1945 – 2 August 2024) was a Sierra Leonean lawyer and politician. He was a Vice-President of Sierra Leone, who served under President Joseph Saidu Momoh before he was ousted by the military junta in 1992. Cont ...

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

B. Q. Pitts announced that Benjamin would be

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

's new Chief Justice. In the interim, Samuel Lungole Awich served as acting CJ. Pitts indicated his hopes that Benjamin, at the time 56, would be able to hold his position until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65.

Personal life

Benjamin graduated from the

Hugh Wooding Law School The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago. History Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to a ...

of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

in 1977. He is married and has a daughter and a son.

References

1955 births Living people Antigua and Barbuda judges Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court justices Chief justices of Belize 20th-century Guyanese judges University of the West Indies alumni Antigua and Barbuda judges on the courts of Grenada Antigua and Barbuda judges on the courts of Saint Lucia Antigua and Barbuda people of Guyanese descent Guyanese people of Antigua and Barbuda descent Guyanese judges on the courts of Grenada Guyanese judges on the courts of Saint Lucia Antigua and Barbuda judges on the courts of Belize Guyanese judges on the courts of Belize Antigua and Barbuda judges on the courts of Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda judges on the courts of Montserrat Guyanese judges on the courts of Anguilla Guyanese judges on the courts of Montserrat Guyanese judges of international courts and tribunals Antigua and Barbuda judges of international courts and tribunals 21st-century Guyanese judges {{Belize-bio-stub