Kelello Mafoso-Guni is a former judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. She was also the first female lawyer in Lesotho and the first woman to serve in the High Court of Lesotho. Mafoso-Guni studied law at the University of Lesotho and the University of Edinburgh and was appointed Crown Counsel in Lesotho from 1970 to 1974. She then moved to the United Kingdom to work in the civil service for twelve years.

Upon returning to Africa, she became a magistrate in Zimbabwe in 1980, becoming the first woman in the country to serve on that bench. She served as Senior Magistrate but quickly moved on to become Provincial Magistrate of Mashonaland whilst also presiding over the juvenile court. She served as a magistrate in Zimbabwe for twelve years. In 1995, she returned to Lesotho and became the first woman judge appointed to the High Court, blazing a path for other female judges in the country.

Mafoso-Guni handled many cases, including some relating to gender discrimination. An example of one of these cases was Mahasele v. Kali (2011), in which Mafoso-Guni ruled against a soldier avoiding taking a paternity test. She reasoned that the child deserved to know who their father was. Up until her African Court nomination, Mafoso-Guni had proven herself to be an ideal candidate with over 20 years of judicial experience.

In 2006, she was elected for a four-year term as one of the first judges of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, alongside Sophia Akuffo. Despite only getting to hear one case during her term at the African Court, Mafoso-Guni was instrumental in laying down some of the foundations of the Court, including its codes of procedure and its registrar. She continued to work as a judge of Lesotho’s High Court whilst at the Court.