PALU Secretariat

Donald Omondi Deya (Kenya)

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Deya is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, and was previously the CEO of the East Africa Law Society (EALS), and, before that, Deputy CEO of the Law Society of Kenya. He has also worked with the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists. While at the EALS, he founded the East African Civil Society Organizations’ Forum.

Among other things, he chairs the Executive Committees of the Pan African Citizens’ Network (PACIN), formerly known as the Centre for Citizens' Participation in the African Union (CCP AU) and the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect. He is a former Chair of the African Court Coalition and is also a Councillor (and former Secretary) of the African Forum of the International Bar Association. He is also a former member of the Executive Committee of the International Institute of Law Association Chief Executives .

He litigates extensively at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the East African Court of Justice. Don has engaged in advocacy with several organs and institutions of the African Union, African Development Bank, African Legal Support Facility, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the East African Community amongst others. Mr. Deya also engages the United Nations system and the International Criminal Court.

Francois. J. Godbout (Quebec)

Director of Programmes

François J. Godbout is the Director of Programmes at Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).

He manages, coordinates and provides leadership for multi-agency projects, and engages with high-level officers of African intergovernmental organizations, the leadership and membership of Bar Associations and Law Societies throughout the continent, and a wide range of international civil society organizations.

Prior to joining PALU, he was Head of Programmes at the East Africa Law Society (EALS) and undertook various consultancy projects both in Canada and Africa, including in design and implementation of social survey instruments and policy and legal research.

Mr. Godbout is well versed in litigating before international and regional courts and tribunals. He contributed to dozens of successful human rights’ cases before the East African Court of Justice and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and was a legal assistant at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Mr. Godbout is an advocate, admitted to the Quebec Bar Association, and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in finance.

Esther Muigai-Mnaro (Kenya)

Programme Manager, Office of the CEO

Esther Muigai-Mnaro is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. In 2012, she was admitted to the Kenya Bar and remains in good standing. She is an active Litigator, holding over 10 years of post-admission experience such as litigating widely before the Kenya National Courts and currently litigating before the East African Court of Justice as well the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Esther provides gratis legal counsel to diverse organisations and initiatives focused on economic empowerment, good governance , rule of law as well as legal education. Esther holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Kampala International University in Uganda and she is pursuing her graduate legal studies.

Japhet Azza Mkiramweni (Tanzania)

Finance Officer

Japhet Azza is a Certified Public Accountant, having taught at the university level in Tanzania. Currently, Mr. Azza is pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree. At PALU, he leads on overall accounting and financial reporting, cash management, budgets and administration.

PraiseGod Millen Joseph (Tanzania)

Programme Officer, Human and Peoples’ Rights Programme

PraiseGod Millen Joseph is a Programme Officer under the Human and Peoples’ Rights Programme at Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU). She currently works and is responsible for different strategic litigations and program activities in PALU.

Before joining PALU, PraiseGod was a Program Officer under the litigation and research at the Center for Strategic Litigation (CSL) and has consulted and researched on legal, human rights, rule of law and social justice assignments for the East African Law Society (EALS), Makerere University and the Commonwealth among others.

PraiseGod's research interests include Business and Human Rights, Digital Rights, Regional integration, Social Justice and the role of international and regional judicial and quasi-judicial organs in the protection of human rights, Rule of law and Democracy.

PraiseGod is an Advocate of the High Court of the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar with practising experience at the national courts, the East African Court of Justice and the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights. PraiseGod holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Ruaha Catholic University and a Master of Laws Degree in East African Community and Regional integration from the University of Dar es Salaam.

Nelson Ndeki (Tanzania)

Resource Mobilization Officer

Rangarirai Chikova (Zimbabwe)

Economic Governance Officer

Rangarirai Chikova oversees the Economic Governance Department within PALU’s Good Governance and Rule of Law Portfolio. His role entails program planning, coordination, and reporting, as well as policy research and analysis on development finance matters (tax, public debt, extractives, illicit financial flows, asset recovery (CAPAR) and climate. He has authored publications and blog articles on these topics.

Mr Chikova holds an Honors Degree in Public Administration from the University of Zimbabwe and a master’s degree in Governance and Public Policy from the University of Passau, Germany. Additionally, Mr. Chikova is a fellow at the African Good Governance Network, a distinguished group of highly educated academics and practitioners committed to advancing good governance principles.

Before joining PALU, Rangarirai worked with the Zimbabwe Coalition On Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) as a Programme Officer, and subsequently with the African Forum And Network On Debt and Development (AFRODAD) as the Domestic Resources Mobilisation Lead. In these roles, he gained extensive experience and expertise in research, strategic management, community engagement, policy advocacy and influence.

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Ruth Ogbewekon (Nigeria)

Focal Point for Research and Publications

Ruth Osaretin Ogbewekon (She/Her), is the Focal Point for Research and Publications at the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).

 Prior to joining PALU, she worked in several capacities at the United Nations international criminal law mechanisms, gaining experience in the investigation and prosecution of mass atrocities crimes. She holds a Master of Laws in International Legal Studies from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) from Riara University.

She is based in Arusha and currently leads PALU’s projects on Reparative Justice and Restitution of African Cultural Heritage, respectively.

Sarah Peeters (Belgium)

Programme Officer – Development of the Legal Profession

Sarah Peeters is a Programme Officer – Development of the Legal Profession at the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).

She manages projects related to the legal profession and she contributes to the drafting and reviewing of the applications before the regional courts in East-Africa.

Before joining PALU, she volunteered at the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) in Arusha, Tanzania.

In 2012, Mrs. Peeters got admitted to the Bar Association of Antwerp (Belgium) and was a practicing lawyer for more than 9 years. She founded her own law firm in 2016 and specialized in legal aid and family law.

Mrs. Peeters holds an LLM in private law and criminal law and a LLB in private and public law from the Free University Brussel.

Madiwa Abdul Hoza (Tanzania)

Communications and Information Technology Officer

Madiwa joins PALU with close to a decade of experience in Marketing Communications and is expected to improve communications at the institution and add significant value to membership services. Prior to his new role as Communication and IT Officer at PALU, Madiwa worked as the Communications and Marketing Specialist at the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation, the apex body for the private sector.

Madiwa is also currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Dar es Salaam. Madiwa’s versatility in engaging diverse members and stakeholders has led to the sustainability of organisations he has worked at, as well as numerous policy reforms.

“I look forward to my new role at PALU towards promoting good governance, upholding the rule of law and protection of human rights and civil liberties.”

Adam Chhatbar (Tanzania)

Information Technology Officer

Ninette Uwizeye (Burundi)

Membership Officer

Ms. Ninette Uwizeye is an Membership Officer at Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU)

She oversees individual and institutional members directly and through Members’ Committees and Task Forces, Recruitment of new members and retaining existing members is an integral part of her work.

Prior to joining PALU, Ms. Ninette Uwizeye was an Administrative Assistant at the African Court Coalition. She interned at the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in the Head of the Division of Human Resource and Administration office.

Ms. Ninette Uwizeye is a Human Resource Professional who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services and Community Development from Hope Africa University in Bujumbura- Burundi and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration in Human Resources Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)-Kenya.

Junecynthia Okelo (Kenya)

Economic Governance Officer

Junecynthia Okelo is a qualified advocate of the High Court of Kenya, with a post-graduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of law, A diploma in tax administration from the Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA), and a bachelor's degree in law from Kabarak University. 

She is an Economic Governance Associate at the Pan African Lawyers Union, where she leverages her skills and expertise in tax law and administration and corporate and commercial practice, to provide economic governance support to the pan-African legal profession.  Through her work at PALU, she has gained knowledge and experience in the domestic resource mobilisation which helps curb illicit financial flows and thus has contributed to and participated in campaigns and capacity building sessions on illicit financial flows.

Zainab Ramadhani (Tanzania)

Office Assistant

Ms Zainab Ramadhani is the Office Assistant at PALU and has been with the organisation for the past ten years. She ensures the smooth running of the office on a day-to-day basis and manages administrative activities of the office.