Kenya nominates Prof Phoebe Okowa to International Court of Justice
Prof. Phoebe Okowa has been nominated as Kenya’s candidate for the position of Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) during the elections that will be held in 2026.
A letter shared by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on Saturday, March 1, 2025, showed that the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has formally communicated the nomination to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Djibouti, which coordinates Eastern Africa’s candidatures.
In the letter, Kenya has requested the support of African Group member states for Prof. Okowa’s bid.
“The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Djibouti to the United Nations, in its capacity as Coordinator of the Eastern African Sub-region on Candidatures, and has the honour to inform of the nomination of Professor Phoebe Okowa by the Kenya National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) for election as a Judge 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 letter read in part.
Kenya expresses confidence
The Kenyan government has further expressed confidence in Okowa’s competence and qualifications, stating that she is well-suited to contribute to the work of the ICJ.
“The government of the Republic of Kenya is convinced that Professor Okowa is competent and well qualified to contribute to the work of the ICJ,” the statement read.
PS Sing’oei, in his statement, also expressed confidence in Okowa, who is a member of the International Law Commission, terming her as the highly distinguished professor.
“The highly distinguished Prof. Phoebe Okowa @Phoebe_Okowa, member of the International Law Commission, is Kenya’s nominee for Judge of the International Court of Justice during the election of 2026,” Sing’oei stated.
The highly distinguished Prof. Phoebe Okowa @Phoebe_Okowa, member of the International Law Commission, is Kenya’s nominee for Judge of the International Court of Justice during the election of 2026.@ForeignOfficeKE pic.twitter.com/CGDFUNJSYa
— Korir Sing'Oei (@SingoeiAKorir) March 1, 2025
She is tasked with drafting, researching, and expanding international law for the UN.
Prof Okowa’s career
Okowa hit the headlines in 2021 when she was nominated as Kenya’s candidate for election to the International Law Commission of United Nations (UN), where she competed with other candidates drawn from all over the globe for the International Law Commission seat.
Prior to her current role at the UN, Okowa served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and had been drafted to be part of the legal team for Kenya in the maritime case against Somalia at the International Court of Justice.
She is also an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and lectures on international law for the United Nations. She has also published a number of academic articles and books.
Okowa earned her professorship in public international law at Queen Mary University of London, where she serves as director of graduate studies.
She is also an arbiter to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, having been nominated in 2017.
The distinguished professor started her law journey at the University of Nairobi, where she graduated at the top of her class with a Bachelor of Law (LLB) with First Class Honours.
Notable universities where she has taught law in different capacities include Bristol, Lille, Helsinki, Stockholm, and WZB Berlin Social Science Center for Global Constitutionalism.
