Kenya has officially nominated Professor Phoebe Okowa for election as its candidate for a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The election will take place during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council 2026.
Kenya, through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations, communicated its diplomatic decision in a note addressed to the Permanent Mission of Djibouti to the United Nations dated February 27, 2025.
“Kenya presents its compliments to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Djibouti to the United Nations, in its capacity as Coordinator of the Eastern Africa Sub-region on candidatures”, the note read.
“Kenya has the honor to inform of the nomination of Professor Phoebe Okowa by the Kenya National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) during the elections as a lodge of the international Court of Justice (ICJ) during the elections to be held at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council in 2026” the note further read.
Kenya also emphasized that Prof. Okowa is competent and well qualified to contribute to the work of ICJ.
Okowa is a professor of Public International Law and Director of Graduate Studies at Queen Mary University of London.
She is also an advocate at the High Court of Kenya.
The High Court advocate is also a member of the Permanent Court Arbitration in Hague.
She serves on the International Advisory Board of the Stockholm Center for International Law and the Executive Committee of the International Law and the Executive Committee of the International Society of Public Law (ICON-S).
