Kenya’s Phoebe Okowa elected by the UN General Assembly as the judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Kenya's Phoebe Okowa elected by the UN General Assembly as the judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

After four rounds of voting, Kenya’s Prof Phoebe Okowa was Wednesday elected by both the UNGA and UN Security Council, a judge of the International Court of Justice defeating three other candidates.
Prof Okowa’s election marks another milestone for Kenya in the international judicial arena, reaffirming the country’s growing influence in global governance.

Prof Okowa, an accomplished scholar of international law, previously served as Kenya’s nominee to the ICJ and has been recognized globally for her expertise in international environmental and human rights law.
Her election strengthens Africa’s representation at the world court, which is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
The ministry of foreign affairs said her victory over three other candidates reflects international confidence in her judicial competence and Kenya’s respected standing on the global stage.
“Prof. Okowa will contribute to the shared goal of advancing a more inclusive and representative judiciary.”
“A generalist public international lawyer, Protessor Okowa would bring to tne Court a wide range of expertise at a time when States are increasingly turing to the Court to resolve complex disputes,” a statement said.

She has taught and lectured across all UN regional groups, giving her a nuanced familiarity with different legal systems and traditions and an ability to approch questions of international law with
independence of mind.

“Her elecion will represent a mistone milestone as it marked the first time Kenya has nominated a candidate for election to the International Court of Justice.”

Prof Okowa was also the first African woman elected to the International Law Commission and to the institut de Droit intemational institute of international Law) – a testament to her recognised Standing in the international legal community.

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

In 2021, she was elected to the International Law Commission for a period of five years, starting January 1, 2023, becoming the first African woman to serve as a member of the Commission.

In 2016, she was appointed a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague by Kenya.

An advocate of the High Court of Kenya, she has acted as counsel and consultant to governments and non-governmental organisations on questions of international law before domestic and international courts including the ICJ.

She graduated at the top of her class with a Bachelor of Law (LLB) with First Class Honours from the University of Nairobi in 1987.

Okowa was the first woman to be awarded a first-class honours degree in the history of the Faculty of Law of the University of Nairobi.

She was called to the Kenyan Bar as an advocate in 1990.

Okowa then studied at Wadham College, Oxford, on a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Scholarship, obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) in 1990.

She completed her doctoral thesis (D.Phil.) at Oxford in 1994 under the supervision of Professor Sir Ian Brownlie, the Chichele Professor of International Law.