Jessica Achieng Oluoch

Senior Programme Manager KENU

As a lawyer, my perception of justice has evolved over the years, through training it is imputed to be a simple choice between formal and informal processes, but the realities and the experiences of justice seekers vary, I have seen firsthand what it means for vulnerable groups including women in the rural areas to be denied justice, it impacts on their children, access to education, access to food right to dignity among other intersectional aspects. That is why I believe justice must be holistic and practical, the solutions sought must make sense to the rights holders, and systems must be flexible to change and innovation to accommodate the user. Hiil provides the perfect opportunity to change lives through innovative justice and, in turn, contribute to monumental social, policy and legal changes that have a ripple effect on the common justice seeker.

Jessica Oluoch is a senior programme manager, Anglophone Africa and global at the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL). She supports the team in development and quality implementation of strategies, manages relations with external stakeholders and ensures the organisation aligns with emerging issues relevant to setting priorities. Her role within Hiil will enable her to learn and work with crosscutting teams within KENU and globally.

Prior to joining HiiL, Jessica was working at Landesa as a gender and land tenure specialist for the S4HL (Stand for Her Land) global advocacy campaign. Before that, she was a programmes manager at KELIN, where she also acted as deputy director. She has worked in the development sector for over 13 years, managing and designing complex multi-country projects, growing teams, providing high-level global visibility for the organisation, and building strategic collaborations. She is also a feminist litigation lawyer at the Institute of Strategic Litigation in Africa, where she continuously engages with lawyers to build jurisprudence in African courts that promotes social change for the most vulnerable. Jessica has contributed to the development and review of key national and global frameworks, including the development and implementation of the Alternative Justice System Policy. She has equally co-published a regional curriculum on social norms and women’s land tenure rights in East Africa, which has been used across the three countries to promote land tenure security for women.

When Jessica is not working, you will always find her with a book in hand; she loves reading in different environments and is part of social reading clubs. She also enjoys practising Bikram yoga and travelling to different countries to experience the diverse cultures.

Contact info

[email protected]
+254 711453447