LADY JUSTICE JOYCE ALUOCH, JA

Professional Profile

• The senior most woman Judge serving in Kenya’s Judiciary, with over 20 years experience as a Judge presiding over cases ranging from Criminal, Civil, Commercial, Constitutional and Family Law.
• Active in the field of international human rights law including leadership positions on United Nations and African Union Committee initiatives dealing with child protection rights in conflict regions.
• International legal experience in Sudan, Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, United States, Switzerland.
• Experienced in developing legal frameworks/systems, including establishment of the Family Division in the High Court and revising Rules of Practice in Family Law to facilitate speedy trials.
• Recipient of the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) Award, a national honor bestowed by H.E. President of the Republic of Kenya, for Human Rights and Humanitarian work.
• Recipient of the Judicial Certificate of Merit, awarded by the Hon. the Chief Justice of Kenya on the occasion of the first Judicial Open day, 2007.

International Assignments
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child - New York & Geneva
Vice-Chair & Member - 2003-present

• Elected as a member by member states of the United Nations and re-elected in 2005
• Elected Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Right of the Child by the 18 member Committee in Geneva in 2003
• Role includes conducting dialogue with Member States of the United Nations in Geneva three times a year and making appropriate recommendations for action by the Member States
• Elected to the UN Committee at the General Assembly in New York.
• The recommendations have resulted in the Member States enacting laws and formulating policies for the protection of Children.

International Tribunal for Children’s Rights Ottawa, Canada , Great Britain & Bosnia – Herzegovina 2000

• Appointed Judge of the tribunal
• Role included traveling to afflicted regions to interview children, government and NGOs and to collect views of children affected by war in Colchester in Great Britain and and drafted a report which was submitted to the International Bureau for Children’s Right.
• Received training in Humanitarian Law in Bosnia-Herzegovina by the International Bureau for Children’s Rights which set up the Tribunal

Regional Assignments
African Union (formerly Organization of African Unity)
Chair & Member, African Committee of Experts on the Rights of the Child 2001 - 2005

• Elected one of eleven member experts during a summit of heads of state and government in Lusaka, Zambia (2001)
• Appointed Chair of the African Committee in Addis Ababa Ethiopia (2002) and re-appointed to the position (2004).
• Undertook mission to Sudan on behalf of the African Union and successfully negotiated with the Government to ratify the African Charter to secure the Rights of Children (Darfur, 2004).
• Undertook a mission to the war-torn Northern Uganda (Kitgum) for a situation analysis of the effects of the 18 year old war on children and reported back to the African Union, for action.
• Successfully negotiated with Member States of the African Union with a majority ratifying the African Charter.
• Prepared the Rules of Practice and Procedure for the African Committee, including procedures for filing complaints to the African Committee by individuals or organizations.
• Prepared Guidelines for initial reporting to the African Committee by Member States of the African Union.

Employment History
Judge of Court of Appeal - 2007 - present
Judge of the High Court of Kenya - 1983--2007
Head of the Family Division High Court (2002 – 2005, 2007)

• Responsible for training of Judges and Magistrates in Family Law matters, in Regional and International Human Rights statutes, supervising the implementation of the Kenya Children’s Act – 2001, and Sexual Offences Act 2006, in the High Court and Magistrates Courts.
• Train Judges and Magistrates to apply the revised procedures in the Law of Succession, developed to facilitate speedy trials.

Senior Resident Magistrate (1980 – 1982)

• Handled both Civil and Criminal cases and in charge of a station consisting of five Magistrates and 40 paralegals.

• Handled both Civil and Criminal Cases and supervised over 20 staff members.

• Handled Criminal cases against juveniles only as the in charge of the station.

National Assignments
Chair, Task Force on the Implementation of the new Sexual Offences Act 2007-present

• Appointed Chairperson by the Attorney General of Kenya.

Patron of the Kenya Women Judges Association 2005-2008

• Appointed by Kenya Women Judges’ Association to facilitate the training of Judges and Magistrates in Regional and International Human Rights Law.

Member Judicial Training Committee 2000-2005

• Appointed by the Chief Justice of Kenya to facilitate the training of Judges, magistrates and paralegals in the Judiciary in Kenya.
• Chairperson, Committee on the establishment of the Family Division of the High Court.

Judicial Service Commission – appointed by H.E the President of Kenya 1985-2003

• Responsible for making recommendations to H.E. The President of the Republic of Kenya for appointment of Judges. (1985 – 2003).
• Member of the Task Force Reviewing Laws relating to Women, appointed by the Attorney General of Kenya. (1996 – 2000).
• Director, International Association of Women Judges, in Washington D.C., U.S.A , 2008

Community Service

• Patron, Kenya Girl Guides Association (2000 – 2006). Prior to this, Chair of the Association for 6 years.
• Designed the 2002 “Peer Prevention Education Programme on HIV/AIDS for Girls and Young Women.”
• Programme voted best overall at the 2002 World Aids Conference in Barcelona, and is now being used as a model in many countries.

Education
The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA 2007-2008
Global Master of Arts Program, GMAP (International Affairs ) graduate expected in July 2008

Kenya School of Law, Nairobi, Kenya - 1973-1974
Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies

University of Nairobi, Nairobi, - 1970-1973
LLB Degree

Publications

• Securing the Rights of Children using Human Rights Principles – paper delivered at the Family Law Conference in Cape Town South Africa - 2004
• The Plight of Girls and Women in Africa – A publication prepared and presented at the African Child Policy forum in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
• A report on the War-torn Northern Uganda – A report prepared for the African Union after the Mission to the Northern Uganda
• Discrimination against Children in Africa – paper delivered at an International Conference in Belfast, Ireland in August 2006.
• Children, HIV/AIDS and the Law – paper delivered at an International Conference of the YWCA Council in Nairobi Kenya (2007).
• Practice Meets Policy & the Law: Implementation of Sexual Offences Act No. 3 of 2006 (Kenya). A paper delivered at the 9th Biennial Conference of Women Judges in Panama in March 2008.

• English: Fluent written and spoken; Kiswahili: Fluent written and spoken; French: Basic

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