Kenya’s Phoebe Okowa Lands Full Nine-Year Term at International Court of Justice

Kenyan legal scholar Professor Phoebe Okowa

Kenyan legal scholar Professor Phoebe Okowa has secured a full nine-year term at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Okowa won the required majority in both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council during Tuesday's elections.

She was among nine candidates competing for five vacancies on the United Nations' principal judicial organ.

Four other candidates were elected alongside her: Professor Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, François Alabrune of France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan and Rena Lee of Singapore.

The five successful candidates will begin their terms on February 6, 2027, serving until 2036.

The 15-member court is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, and handles legal disputes between states.

Kenya Secures Continued Representation

Okowa has served on the ICJ since November 2025, following a by-election that filled a vacancy.

She replaced Somali judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who resigned before completing his term.

Her initial mandate was scheduled to end on February 5, 2027, prompting Kenya to pursue a full-term election.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei welcomed the outcome, saying it demonstrated international confidence in Okowa.

He thanked the General Assembly and Security Council members who supported Kenya's candidate.

Sing'oei also acknowledged Sierra Leone, South Korea and Ecuador for withdrawing their candidates after the third voting round.

He said the withdrawals helped prevent a prolonged electoral process and congratulated the other successful candidates.

President William Ruto also celebrated Okowa's election, describing it as a source of national pride.

He said her success reflected Kenya's legal expertise, integrity and contribution to international affairs.

Ruto expressed confidence that she would uphold international law and support peaceful dispute resolution between countries.

How Kenya Secured Her Nomination

Kenya's Permanent Mission notified Djibouti about Okowa's nomination through a letter dated February 27.

Djibouti was coordinating candidatures for the Eastern African sub-region at the time.

The nomination originated from Kenya's National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Kenya asked Djibouti to circulate her candidature among African countries to secure wider regional backing.

The government described Okowa as qualified to contribute meaningfully to the ICJ's work.

Who Is Professor Phoebe Okowa?

Born in Kericho on January 1, 1965, Okowa is an accomplished international law scholar.

She is a professor of Public International Law and Director of Graduate Studies at Queen Mary University of London.

Okowa graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1987 with a First Class Honours law degree.

She became the first woman to achieve that distinction in the university's Faculty of Law.

She was admitted to the Kenyan Bar in 1990 before pursuing further studies at Oxford University.

At Wadham College, she obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law degree through a Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarship.

She completed her doctoral studies at Oxford in 1994 under Professor Sir Ian Brownlie.

Her international legal career also includes appointment to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.

In 2021, she was elected to the International Law Commission for a five-year term beginning January 2023.

She became the first African woman elected to serve on the commission.

The commission comprises 34 experts elected by the UN General Assembly to help develop and codify international law.

Okowa has also advised governments and non-governmental organisations on international legal matters.

Her experience includes representing clients before domestic and international courts, including the ICJ.

Her new mandate will extend Kenya's representation on the court through 2036.