Kenya has achieved another milestone on the global stage after Professor Phoebe Okowa was unanimously elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Her election followed four rounds of voting by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and UN Security Council, where she defeated three other candidates.
Prof Okowa secured 106 out of 185 votes in the UNGA, surpassing the required 97-vote threshold, and received eight out of 15 votes in the Security Council—enough to clinch the position. She fills the seat left vacant by Somali Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who will step down in September 2025.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei hailed her victory as a testament to her legal expertise and Kenya’s strong reputation in international diplomacy. “I commend our New York and Geneva teams for leading the charge,” he said.
Prof Okowa’s nomination was championed by the Kenya National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and endorsed by the African Group after Kenya’s formal request to Djibouti, the Eastern Africa sub-regional coordinator.
Born on January 1, 1965, in Kericho, Prof Okowa made history in 1987 as the first woman to graduate with First-Class Honours in Law from the University of Nairobi. She was admitted to the Kenyan Bar in 1990 and has since built an illustrious career in international law.
Currently, she serves as Professor of Public International Law and Director of Graduate Studies at Queen Mary University of London. She has acted as counsel and consultant for governments and international organisations before various courts, including the ICJ.
Previously, Okowa was appointed to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 and became the first African woman elected to the UN International Law Commission in 2021. Her latest election cements Kenya’s growing influence in international legal and diplomatic circles.
