The government of Kenya fully supports the candidacy of Lady Justice Njoki Ndung’u as one of the six candidates to the position of Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, in the Netherlands, Prime Cabinet Secretary Dr Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Speaking when he hosted Chief Justice Martha Koome and Justice Ndung’u at his Railways office, Mudavadi said the Judiciary, together with the team from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, discussed how they can strategically market Justice Ndung’u’s candidature.
“I assured the Judiciary that the ICC candidate that the candidacy has the tacit backing of His Excellency, President William Ruto, and that the Cabinet had endorsed it,” said Mudavadi, also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.
The Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled to elect six new judges during its twenty-fifth session, to be held from December 7 to 17, 2026, in New York.
By the end of March, 15 candidates had shown interest in the six positions, including eight from Africa, in the contests, with a deadline of April 12th for those who are interested in the job.
PCS said his ministry will work hard to promote Justice Ndung’u, Kenya’s best bet for the job, and noted that they had started a framework of the campaign that will yield positive results and eventual victory in December, when the Judges will be picked.
Mudavadi said that a committee bringing together several stakeholders, including the Judiciary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other actors, would run a well-coordinated campaign for Justice Ndung’u.
He noted that the Kenyan judiciary had earned a lot of respect across the world and is the admiration of many countries, especially given its independence.
Mudavadi said the executive led by the President, the Judiciary, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were all aligned and that Justice Ndung’u’s candidacy will be launched soon.
“We want to run a robust campaign that will ensure victory for our candidate in the December election. We will reach out to out everyone who will have a vote,” said Mudavadi.
PCS appealed to Kenyans, including the media, legislators and all the actors to unite around Justice Ndung’u’s candidature. “This is not the time to play political games and tricks. Let us not shoot ourselves in the foot by besmirching our candidate out there; we should talk well of her across the world,” said Mudavadi.
CJ Koome said that Kenya was offering its best to the world and called on the government to use its network to ensure that it put up one of the best campaigns for Justice Ndung’u.
“Kenya is offering one of the best of its judges; all we request is support for everyone who can,” Justice Koome said.
She said that Kenya had helped enrich the jurisprudence of the ICC during its interaction a few years back.
Justice Ndung’u said that she was ready to represent Kenya positively if she was allowed to serve at the ICC.
“I will make sure that Kenya is represented in the international arena. My victory will be that of Kenyans. It is our responsibility to market our country globally through such opportunities as the one I am pursuing,” said Justice Ndung’u.
In attendance during the meeting were Ambassador Halima Yussuf Mucheke, Embassy of the Republic of Kenya to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Amb. Galma Boru, Kenyan Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Amb. Yabesh Monari, Deputy Permanent Representative, Kenya Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
