Kenyan judge Phoebe Okowa wins full nine-year ICJ term
Professor Phoebe Okowa secured the required majority votes in both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.
Kenyan legal scholar Professor Phoebe Okowa has been elected to a full nine-year term as a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). President William Ruto congratulated Okowa, stating her election is a moment of great pride for Kenya and recognizes the country's contribution to international law.
Okowa secured the necessary majority votes in both the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council during elections held at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, November 3. Her new term runs from February 2027 to February 2036.
She was initially elected in November 2025 to fill a vacancy and previously served on the United Nations International Law Commission since 2021. The ICJ, based in The Hague, Netherlands, is the UN's principal judicial organ, settling legal disputes between states.
Why it mattersKenyan legal scholar Phoebe Okowa has been elected to a full nine-year term as a judge at the International Court of Justice.