Kenya’s Appeals Court Judge Wanjiru Karanja in Race to Join ICC

Kenya has nominated Appeals Court judge Wanjiru Karanja as its candidate for the position of judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Wanjiru, the most senior judge in the Appellate Court of Kenya, will battle it out with 14 other candidates from around the world in the election that will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in December.

She has been nominated under List A, which includes candidates with established competence in criminal law and procedure, as well as the necessary experience in criminal law.

Wanjiru joined the judiciary in 1985 as a district magistrate where she handled criminal cases like aggravated assault, burglary and theft, rape and defilement, manslaughter, robberies and other offenses.

“She rose up the ladder as years went by and the jurisdiction expanded to include murder and other complicated matters,” reads a statement from The Embassy of Kenya in The Hague.

In 2004, she was promoted to Judge of the High Court where other than handling murder trials in the first instance, the she covered all first appeals in criminal as well as civil matters. 

“Judge Wanjiru Karanja has therefore dealt with cases in line with the provisions of article 36, paragraph 8 (b), of the Rome Statute,” adds the statement.

In 2011, she was promoted to the Court of Appeal, then the highest court in Kenya, where she continued handling appeals in criminal and civil matters.

“Judge Wanjiru Karanja is of impeccable moral character and her integrity and impartiality are beyond reproach… Judge Wanjiru Karanja is well suited to sit as a Judge of the International Criminal Court,” the statement adds.