Justice Ben Kioko is the Vice-President of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights. He was elected judge of the African Court in July 2012  by the Executive Council and appointed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU). He was  re-elected in July 2018. Prior to joining the African Court, Justice Kioko served as The Legal Counsel to the African Union and as Director for the unified Central Legal service for the African Union, its organs and institutions, including the AU Commission, regional and representative offices for more than a decade.  

He was responsible for oversight of all legal matters including provision of legal advice, drafting of treaties and agreements, conduct of all elections, as well as advising all AU organs and institutions including the Executive Council and the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. He oversaw the drafting and negotiation of at least twenty-five treaties on different areas and in the building of their treaty bodies. He was also involved in the establishment of some Public Private Partnership initiatives, notably, the drafting of the treaty establishing the African Risk Capacity (ARC) and also advised on its implementation. In this regard, his extensive experience and expertise entails drafting, negotiation and implementation of treaties and other international agreements as well as formulation and implementation of programs, projects and strategic plans. He was involved in the preparation, implementation and follow up of the various Strategic Plans of the African Union and the Organization’s programmes and flagship projects, its functions and operations as well as development goals.

While at the service of the AU, Judge Kioko provided technical backstopping to the African Groups in various world capitals during negotiation of international treaties, policy frameworks and institutional structures. He also led negotiations for building synergies across African partners and initiated and expanded collaborative relationships and AU engagement with varies stakeholders such as  law faculties, civil society, non-governmental organizations, the media, research think tanks as well as engagement with all the 8 African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), UN Agencies,   the European Union, World Bank, The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Organization of American States, (OAS) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), African Development Bank (AfDB) and other international and multilateral institutions. He also initiated the establishment of a publicly available web-based status information system on OAU/AU treaties, an electronic voting system for use by AU policy organs, the Annual Consultative Forum of Legal Advisers of the AU and the RECs, as well as close working relations with the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. He also supported the initial stages of the establishment of the African Legal Support Facility hosted by the African Development Bank Group as well as the African Institute of International law.

His experience with sensitive political issues includes his involvement in the investigation into the assassination attempt on President Mubarak of Egypt in Addis Ababa, the Conflict between Eritrea and Yemen, the Hissène Habré case as well as the formulation and adoption of the Common African Positions on the principle of universal jurisdiction and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Justice Kioko is an institutional memory powerhouse on African Union matters and was deeply involved, initially as Senior Legal Officer, and subsequently as The Legal Counsel, in the institutional transformation of  the Organization of African Unity (OAU)  to (AU) and was in charge of implementation of Assembly decisions on the transformation of the OAU to the AU and institutional transformative processes within the AU notably the efforts towards establishment of the African Union Government as well as the African Union Authority.

Prior to joining the African Union, Judge Kioko, who is also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, served in various capacities in his home country including general legal practice and working for government.

Justice Kioko has provided post graduate training in various fields including African Union law-making functions, democracy, governance, rule of law, conflict resolution, regional integration, protection of civilians, human rights and is widely published, most recently on the President Hissén Habré Trial.

He serves in several international advisory boards as well as editorial boards of various international Law Journals. He is a member of the chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) and a recipient of two prestigious national awards.

This event is co-sponsored by the University of Chicago Law School's International Programs, International Law Society, Black Law Students Association, Human Rights Law Society. 

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