Kenya's Phoebe Okowa re-elected to International Court of Justice for 2027–2036 term

Kenyan law professor Phoebe Okowa has won a full nine-year term on the International Court of Justice after a UN vote held on Tuesday.

What happened

The UN General Assembly and Security Council elected Professor Phoebe Okowa to a full nine-year term on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague [2][3]. The vote was held on Tuesday, November 3, in New York, and required several rounds of voting [2][5]. She had first been elected in 2025 to complete the term of Somali judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who had resigned, so she needed a new election to secure a fresh term [1][4]. Her new term runs from February 6, 2027, to February 5, 2036 [3].

Why Kenyans are searching for it

The sources report the election and the congratulations that followed, but none of them explicitly explains why the name is being searched for in Kenya at this time. Coverage describes her as a prominent figure: she is a professor of public international law at Queen Mary University of London, and she spent much of her career teaching international law in Nairobi and Oxford [1][3]. In 2021 she became the first African woman, since the Commission's establishment in 1947, to be elected to the UN International Law Commission [1].

Key facts

• Who: Prof Phoebe Okowa, 61, a Kenyan legal scholar [1][3].
• Role: One of 15 judges who resolve legal disputes between states and give advisory opinions on international law [1].
• Term: Nine years, February 6, 2027, to February 5, 2036 [3].
• Votes: Sources disagree on the figures. One report gives eight votes in the Security Council and 97 in the General Assembly [4]. Another gives 13 in the Security Council and 183 in the General Assembly [5].
• Candidates: Sources also differ on the field. One says nine candidates competed for five seats [5]. Another says Sierra Leone withdrew its candidate, Professor Charles Chernor Jalloh, and backed Okowa [5], while a further headline refers to a continuing battle between Okowa and Jalloh [6].
• Reactions: President William Ruto and Chief Justice Martha Koome led congratulations, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei also welcomed the result [3].

What to watch

The ICJ faces a record workload, with 24 contentious cases pending, according to its President, Yuji Iwasawa [2]. Okowa will take up her term in February 2027 [3]. Readers should treat the vote totals and candidate details with care, since the sources do not agree on them [4][5][6].

Sources

1. [1] Who is Phoebe Okowa? Kenyan law scholar who rose to ICJ bench - Daily Nation
2. [2] UN elects five judges to International Court of Justice amid record cases - Al Jazeera
3. [3] Ruto, Koome lead congratulations to Phoebe Okowa after ICJ election - The Standard
4. [4] Phoebe Okowa: The legal academic who won a 9-year seat on the International Court of Justice - Nairobi Tea
5. [5] Kenya's Phoebe Okowa re-elected ICJ Judge for 9-year term - Nairobi Tea
6. [6] Kenya's Phoebe Okowa, Sierra Leone’s Charles Jalloh renew battle for ICJ seat - Nairobi Tea

Compiled by the NairobiCity trend desk from the sources above.