President Ruto mounts campaign for Justice Njoki Ndung’u ICC position

President William Samoei Ruto has mounted a campaign for Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung’u, Kenya’s candidate in the International Criminal Court.

The election is set for December 2026 during the 25th Assembly of State Parties in New York.

This week, Ruto has leveraged the Africa Forward Summit to personally introduce Justice Ndung’u to attending Heads of State.

In his campaign strategy, Ruto has introduced Justice Ndung’u to dignitaries, including French President Emmanuel Macron,  Côte d’Ivoire’s Alassane Ouattara, Liberia’s Joseph Boakai and Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio, in State House, Nairobi.

France and Sierra Leone are among the 125 Rome Statute state parties with their own sitting ICC judges.

Justice Ndung'u joins six other candidates, including Evelyn Ankumah (Ghana), Guénaël Mettraux (Switzerland), Rosette Muzigo-Morrison (Uganda), Deo John Nangela (Tanzania), Diana Carolina Olarte Bacares (Colombia) and Yoshimitsu Yamauchi (Japan). 

The Lady Justice is among the founding judges of Kenya’s Supreme Court and also the principal architect of Kenya’s Sexual Offences Act, a law that has significantly transformed protection for survivors of gender-based violence. 

Also in her portfolio is the Maputo protocol, which she helped to build.

Based on her criminal law portfolio, Justice Ndung’u is listed under Category A, which comprises judges who are competent in criminal law and criminal procedures.

Throughout her career, Justice Ndung'u has authored and participated in landmark judicial orders that have significantly shaped the country's policies, making her not just qualified but exceptional.

If elected, Justice Ndung'u will be the second Kenyan to join the ICC bench, after Judge Joyce Aluoch, who served in The Hague from 2009 to 2018.