THE CASE OF THE FIRST KENYAN JUDGE AT THE HAGUE

Kenya’s Appellate Judge Lady Justice Joyce Aluoch was the first Kenyan to be  appointed as a judge to the International Criminal Court (ICC).Justice Aluoch trounced renowned judges from across the world to capture one of the highly coveted positions. Coincidentally some Kenyans who find themselves accused of crimes against humanity may just face their very own Justice Aluoch at The Hague.

According to the ICC website, Aluoch was elected at the final round of the vote and garnered two-thirds majority required and will serve for nine years. Her election came two months after a Kenyan diplomat, Zachary Muburi-Mwita was elected one of the vice-presidents of the ICC secretariat. Aluoch first beat a host of 11 African lawyers and judges to become the first Kenyan to sit on the ICC Bench and would be joined by Monageng Sanji Mmasenono from Botswana. The ICC Bench is composed of 18 judges carefully elected to represent various regions. Competition to serve on the Bench of the ICC is stiff and for Aluoch to be elected, Kenya had to put up a serious campaign to lobby for her candidature.“The ICC has jurisdiction to try war criminals. Getting elected to serve in the ICC is no mean feat. The process is highly competitive and Justice Aluoch deserves a pat on the back,”