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Kenya has stepped up its diplomatic campaign to secure a seat at the International Criminal Court (ICC), with President William Ruto personally leading efforts to rally support for former Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung’u during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi.
On the sidelines of the summit, President Ruto held bilateral talks with visiting leaders, formally presenting Justice Njoki as Kenya’s nominee for a position on the ICC bench.
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Among the dignitaries he engaged was French President Emmanuel Macron, whom he hosted at State House Nairobi on Sunday evening, where he also underscored Kenya’s ambition for representation at the Hague-based court.
The lobbying drive further reached West African heads of state, including Côte d’Ivoire’s Alassane Ouattara, Liberia’s Joseph Boakai, and Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio, as Kenya seeks to build broad international backing ahead of the ICC elections.
Government officials involved in the outreach describe Justice Njoki as one of Africa’s most accomplished jurists, highlighting her extensive judicial career and role in advancing constitutional reforms.
She was among the first judges appointed to Kenya’s Supreme Court after the 2010 Constitution came into force and served for over a decade, participating in key rulings on constitutional law and criminal justice.
She is also credited with playing a leading role in the development of Kenya’s Sexual Offences Act, a landmark law that strengthened legal protections for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
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Regionally, she contributed to the African Union’s Maputo Protocol, which promotes and safeguards women’s rights across the continent.
Her supporters say her legal expertise, human rights work, and long judicial experience position her strongly for the ICC, which handles the world’s most serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The campaign comes at a strategic time as the Africa Forward Summit brings together numerous heads of state and global decision-makers in Nairobi, giving Kenya a high-level platform to advance its diplomatic ambitions.
For Kenya, the bid represents both a major diplomatic push and an effort to elevate one of its leading legal figures onto the international judicial stage.
