Kenya’s Professor Phoebe Okowa has been elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a full nine-year term after securing the required majority votes in both the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
Okowa was among nine candidates competing for five positions in elections held simultaneously by the two UN organs on Tuesday.
The other four judges elected alongside Okowa are Professor Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, François Alabrune of France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan and Rena Lee of Singapore.
Akande is a professor of Public International Law at the University of Oxford and a member of the UN International Law Commission.
Alabrune is a French legal expert and diplomat, while Hmoud is an incumbent ICJ judge who was first elected in 2025 to fill a vacancy.
Lee is Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law and previously led negotiations that resulted in the UN agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The five successful candidates will begin their terms on February 6, 2027, serving until 2036 on the 15-member court based in The Hague, Netherlands.
Her election secures Kenya’s continued representation on the world’s principal judicial organ, where she has been serving since November 2025 after winning a by-election to fill the vacancy left by Somali judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who resigned.
The earlier election gave her a temporary mandate running until February 5, 2027, prompting Kenya to mount a fresh diplomatic campaign to secure her a full term.
Okowa’s latest victory also marks a historic achievement for Kenya. She became the first Kenyan to serve as a judge of the ICJ when she was elected in 2025.
In a congratulatory message, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said her election reflected the international community’s confidence in her ability to serve the court at a consequential time.
Sing’oei thanked members of the UN General Assembly and Security Council for supporting her candidature. He also acknowledged Sierra Leone, Korea and Ecuador for withdrawing their candidates after the third round of voting, saying the move helped avert a prolonged electoral process.
He congratulated the other judges elected from the United Kingdom, France, Singapore and Jordan, and thanked the teams that supported Okowa’s campaign.
Okowa is a professor of Public International Law at Queen Mary University of London, where she also serves as Director of Graduate Studies. She was elected to the UN International Law Commission in 2021, becoming the first African woman to serve on the expert body.
She was also appointed by Kenya as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in 2016.
The ICJ, established under the UN Charter in 1945, settles legal disputes between states and issues advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised UN institutions and agencies.
Okowa’s election strengthens Kenya’s presence in international legal institutions and gives the country a continued voice on a court whose decisions shape the interpretation and application of international law.
