Mr. Kakoma assumed this role on October 2, 2023, by appointment of Interpeace’s Governing Board. Prior to Interpeace, he most recently served as the Permanent Representative of the International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to the African Union and International Organizations (2021-2023). In this capacity, Kakoma advanced continental wide humanitarian diplomacy initiatives with the African Union in public health security; climate change; disaster risk management; food security; and humanitarian affairs. Concurrently, from January 2023, Mr. Kakoma was appointed as IFRC’s Director for Global Humanitarian Diplomacy, providing strategic leadership and direction in international fora and high-level diplomatic undertakings. He oversaw a global team of humanitarian diplomacy leads in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Americas.

Mr. Kakoma served in various leadership capacities on matters of international peace mediation, including as Director for Global Strategy and member of the leadership team at CMI Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. He facilitated the 10-year organizational strategy, as mandated and approved by CMI’s Board of Directors. Initially as CMI’s Head for Sub-Sharan Africa and later one of two global Programme Director(s), he led the development and implementation of a results-based dialogue and mediation programme. At CMI, he steered mediation support teams for both official and informal peace processes, and advanced high level peace mediation and dialogue undertakings in the Great Lakes, the Horn, and wider Red Sea region. He also oversaw the programme management, policy, and technology in peacemaking teams.

Previously, Mr. Kakoma was the Assistant Director for the Conflict Resolution Program at The Carter Center, managing a portfolio of the Center’s peace initiatives and supporting former President Carter’s backchannel diplomatic efforts. He was an international observer for The National Referendum on the Right to Self Determination for the People of South Sudan; and served as an advisor and report writer for the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He is an experienced facilitator and moderator for high-level peace processes and dialogue fora; and has expertise in mediation, negotiation, process design, and transitional justice. Kakoma is an advocate for women, peace and security and frequently moderates seminar(s) on inclusive mediation strategies.

Mr. Kakoma was an Executive-in-Residence and subsequently Global Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP); and is a founding member of Diplomats Without Borders. He holds an Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict from the Geneva Academy for International Humanitarian Law & Human Rights and the Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies