He holds a Bachelors of Arts (BA) Degree (Honors) in International Relations from Makerere University, Kampala; a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Diplomatic Law from the University of Westminster, London; and a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree in International Criminal Law from the University of Sussex, Brighton. Phillip was the British Academy Fellow at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford in 2010. He previously served as the Programme Manager of the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Division in ISS Addis Ababa.