Sheila B. Keetharuth – Executive Director (Mauritian)
A 2011 laureate of the Medalla de Honor from the Madrid Bar Association, Sheila joined IHRDA as ‘ED’ in 2006. An indefatigable lawyer, Sheila’s passion and attention to detail drives the IHRDA team. She works tirelessly to reposition IHRDA as the continental leader in the defence of human rights. Prior to joining IHRDA, Sheila was a researcher for East Africa with Amnesty International (AI) from 2002 to 2005 and later headed in the interim, the AI Regional Office in Kampala. With 13 years standing at the Mauritian Bar, she has practiced law and also served on the National Economic and Social Council (2002). She had also worked as a journalist and broadcaster, with Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation and the Union of National Radio and Television Organisations of Africa (URTNA). Her publications include a chapter in Human Rights in Africa: Legal Perspectives on their Protection and Promotion (2009). Sheila holds a Master of Laws degree from Leicester University and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Buckingham University.
Angela Naggaga – Deputy Director (Ugandan)
IHRDA’s Deputy Director is the suave and diplomatic Angela. Since joining IHRDA in 2006, Angela has helped shape IHRDA’s programmes, strengthen its institutional set-up and broaden its financial base. Behind her quiet demeanour is a tenacious leader of IHRDA’s team of programme officers who develop cases, represent victims, as well as communicate and publish on these. Angela has guided the building of IHRDA’s Case Law Analyser and oversees its smooth operation. Angela has taught International Law at Makerere University and served as Senior Legal Officer/Head of the Legal Aid and Counseling Department of Makerere University’s Refugee Law Project. Angela studied her law at Makerere University (Bachelors) and at Cambridge University (Masters).
Musa Secka – Director of Finance and Administration (Gambian)
Musa has worked with the National Audit Office in The Gambia as the Director of Audit and with Frosch Touristic International (FTI) as Director of Finance and Administration before joining IHRDA in 2000. (ACCA)
Gaye Sowe – Senior Legal Officer (Gambian)
With a long judicial service up his sleeve, Gaye is the resident law reference, especially in common law, constitutional, criminal and non-discrimination law. A voracious reader of biographies, Gaye is a also consummate jazz fan, with an encyclopeadic knowledge of good music from all over the planet. As in-house counsel, his work covers non-discrimination in Nigeria and Kenya, fair trial in Ethiopia, transnational non state actors and citizenship rights in Africa. Gaye was called to the Nigerian and Gambian Bars in October and November 2000 respectively. He worked with the Gambian Judiciary as a Principal Magistrate and Acting Judicial Secretary prior to joining IHRDA. He has conducted training workshops for Gambian judiciary and law enforcement and is adjunct lecturer of Constitutional and Criminal Law at the University of The Gambia. He studied in the University of Essex’s International Human Rights Law programme (LLM), and at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (LLB Honours), as well as at the Nigerian Law School (BL).
Neldjingaye Kameldy – Legal Officer (Chadian)
Kameldy leads our work work in francophone Africa. With a quiet and calm disposition, and a difficult-to-pronounce given name (we’ve settled for Kameldy), his active mind, deep thinking and likeable character makes him a great colleague, always on hand to help and add value. An avid reader of African literature, Kameldy’s own publications include a chapter on the Hissene Habre case in Prosecuting International Crimes in Africa (PULP, 2010), academic articles with AfriMAP and Tiempo de Paz (2008), contributions to African Human Rights Law Reports 2005 (PULP, 2007) and the entry on the Chadian Constitution in the upcoming Oxford Dictionary of World Constitutions. Prior to joining IHRDA, Kameldy served as vice rapporteur of the Legal Commission on Research and Documentation of ATPDH (Chadian Association for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights). He studied law at the universities of Pretoria (LLM) and N’Djamena (LLB).
Humphrey Sipalla – Publications and Communications Officer (Kenyan)
Humphrey (affectionately called Sipalla) tells you how IHRDA defends, educates and informs. If it needs to be said, written, advertised, posted, blogged, ‘facebooked’, ‘tweeted’, IHRDA’s witty, brilliant, ‘thinking-out-of-the-box’ Sipalla gets it done, armed with a warm cup of coffee. If you visit the Case Law Analyser or read IHRDA’s compilations of African Commission decisions, you experience firsthand, Sipalla’s handiwork. A teacher, writer and editor, Sipalla has previously served in various editorial capacities for theological, philosophical, literary and social justice publications since 2000, prior to joining IHRDA in 2008. In 2006/7, he was appointed to the copy-editorial team for a bible translation project. His publications include a co-authored chapter in the upcoming Multidisciplinary Perspectives to Human Rights (PULP, 2012), poetry in the 2010 anthology Counterpoint (OUP), a chapter on water privatisation in World Water Crisis: A Challenge to Social Justice (PPA, 2007), series of short stories for children on HIV & AIDS (PPA, 2004/5). Humphrey studied education at Kenyatta University.
Henry Annoh – Finance and Administrative Assistant (Ghanaian)
Henry also holds a Level One diploma from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA I), and diplomas in Business Studies and from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA ). He has worked in finance and administration at Concern Universal and the Methodist Mission Agricultural Programme (MMAP) in The Gambia and Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) in Accra. He previously taught at Foresight Training Institute in Banjul. (ICSA), Dip. Law (WAII).
Modou Sowe – Finance and Administration Clerk (Gambian)
Modou, the second Mr Sowe in the office, joined us in as an intern in July 2009 and became permanent staff in May 2010. Modou handles our petty cash and settles our service providers. He lends a hand in filing and coordinates security of IHRDA premises. Modou previously worked at Emkay Stores in 2009. He studied for his foundational certificate in IT at West African Educational Trust and a certificate and diploma in Infomation Processing at Gambia Techinical Training Institute (GTTI).
Cheikh Omar Bassene – Messenger/Cleaner (Senegalese)
Cheikh (fondly pronounced as an elongated ‘sheeeee’), personifies patience at IHRDA. Adept at working the bureaucracy of many offices, Cheikh weathers through the drudgery of long queues and frustration of bureaucracy to ensure IHRDA’s written communications reach appropriate desks in Banjul. For a first time visitor or new staff, Cheikh’s bright smile and endearing helpfulness will welcome you at Yundum airport. Together with Fatou and Tamba, Cheikh forms an important part of our institutional memory. Cheikh speaks French, English and some Spanish.
Fatou Conteh – Cleaner/Cook (Gambian)
For 12 years, Fatou has kept IHRDA clean and welcoming. She is the mainstay behind one of IHRDA’s most loved office traditions, the 11am break at the bantaba (traditional Gambian gazebo). Fondly called Aunty Fatou, she keeps a healthy dose of coffee and tea available for staff and visitors at IHRDA.
Tamba Conteh – Office Attendant/Cleaner (Gambian)
Having joined Alpha and Julia in 1997, Tamba is currently the longest serving staff member, even predating the formal founding of IHRDA. Tamba serves as messenger and mantains our alternative power systems and keeps our documenation centre clean and tidy. An innovative support staff member, Tamba has been instrumental in the building and follow-up of two of IHRDA’s cases, 249/02 IHRDA (on behalf of Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea) v Guinea and 292/04 IHRDA (on behalf of Esmaila Connateh and 13 others) v Angola. Tamba speaks an astounding 7 languages: English, his native Sarahule, Wollof, Mandinka, Jola, Fula and Bambara.
Sukuta Manneh – Gardener (Gambian)
Without Sukuta, we would have a backyard instead of a garden. Sukuta knows his plant varieties by name, sight, texture and optimal seasons and serves as compound overseer. Sukuta worked with Radville Farms for 11 years and studied at General Agriculture at Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI).
