Ruto sends message to Phoebe Okowa after winning fresh 9-year International Court of Justice term

Kenyan President William Ruto praised Professor Phoebe Okowa on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, following her re-election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a nine-year term. In a statement on his X account, Ruto hailed Okowa’s election as a source of national pride and a testament to Kenya’s legal expertise. He emphasized that her victory highlighted the international community’s confidence in Kenyan professionals and their vital contributions to global affairs.

Ruto assured Okowa of his support as she assumes her new duties, stressing her role in advancing international law and fostering peaceful relations among nations. The new term for Okowa, who defeated Sierra Leone’s Professor Charles Chernor Jalloh in separate votes at the UN Security Council and General Assembly, will commence on February 6, 2027, and conclude on February 2036.

She was initially appointed to the ICJ in November 2025 to fill a vacant seat left by Somali judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, who resigned before his term ended. Her re-election secures a full nine-year term for her on the 15-member ICJ, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. Prior to her ICJ tenure, Okowa was a professor of public international law at Queen Mary University of London, focusing on international legal matters.

She also served on the United Nations International Law Commission, making history as the first African woman elected to that body. Her initial ICJ election in 2025 made her the first Kenyan to serve on the UN’s foremost judicial institution. The ICJ adjudicates legal disputes between countries and issues advisory opinions on matters referred to it by authorized UN organizations and agencies.

The judges of the ICJ are independently elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council and serve nine-year terms, with the potential for re-election.