In a historic vote at the United Nations on Thursday, Kenyan law professor Phoebe Okowa was elected as a judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), emerging victorious from a competitive field of African candidates after a series of tense voting rounds in both the General Assembly and Security Council.
UN elects Phoebe Okowa of Kenya to International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Judge Yuji Iwasawa, second right, reads the advisory opinion of the ICJ on what Israel must do to ensure aid reaches Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.
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The election saw Okowa compete against candidates from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana in what became a protracted contest.
After several inconclusive rounds that failed to produce the required majority in both UN organs, candidates Paul Kuruk of Ghana and Dr. Olufemi Elias of Nigeria withdrew their candidacies.
The final round pitted Okowa against Charles Jalloh of Sierra Leone, with the Kenyan candidate securing 106 votes to Jalloh's 79 in the General Assembly and a narrow 8-7 victory in the Security Council.
Term and significance of appointment
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock officially declared that "Phoebe Okowa of Kenya has obtained an absolute majority in both organs" and was therefore newly elected.
Okowa succeeds Judge Abdulqawi A. Yusuf, who resigned effective September 30, 2025.
Her term begins immediately and will run through February 5, 2027, completing the remainder of her predecessor's term on the UN's principal judicial organ, often called the "World Court."