NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenyan jurist Prof. Phoebe Okowa has been re-elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a full nine-year term, securing Kenya’s representation on the United Nations’ principal judicial organ through 2036.
Okowa prevailed in a closely contested election at the UN in New York on Tuesday, November 3.
She defeated Peru’s Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza in the decisive round, receiving 13 votes in the 15-member Security Council, according to reports.
Candidates must secure an absolute majority in both the Security Council and the UN General Assembly to be elected.
Her new term will begin on February 6, 2027, and run until 2036. Okowa had joined the court in November 2025 to serve the remainder of the term of Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf of Somalia, who resigned.
Her current mandate was due to expire in February 2027.
International law scholar
Okowa is a professor of public international law at Queen Mary University of London, where she has taught since 2002.
She earned a doctorate in public international law and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford, as well as a law degree from the University of Nairobi.
The ICJ, based in The Hague, hears legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorised UN bodies and agencies.
Its 15 judges are elected independently by the General Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms.
Kenya had campaigned for Okowa’s re-election, with the Foreign Affairs Ministry describing the bid as part of the country’s effort to support a credible international judicial system.
