Namibia Turns to Kenyan Professor to Argue Hague Case Due to Shortage of Qualified Lawyers
The Namibian government has stood by its decision to appoint Professor Phoebe Okowa, a Kenyan national, as its representative at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday, February 23rd.
Despite facing widespread criticism, Gladice Pickering, the Executive Director of Justice, clarified that they couldn’t find a lawyer in Namibia who met the required qualifications.
She felt compelled to disclose the information following accusations from Namibians that the government was neglecting local counselors.
Pickering commented that the assertions about local attorneys being disregarded were not entirely correct, as there was a lack of specialized expertise to handle the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case concerning the ongoing Middle East conflict.
“We needed to get an expert in public international law and that person has experience at the ICJ,” she explained.
“We do not have the person in Namibia meeting both criteria.”
Pickering mentioned that the Namibian cabinet received Okowa’s educational credentials in the field of public international law.
The cabinet also took into account its previous authorization for Okowa to address a submission at the ICJ concerning Namibia’s stance on climate change impacts.
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Pickering also noted that Professor Okowa had an advantage because she had previously appeared at the ICJ
“She is the first African female person to serve on the international law commission and an expert in her own right,” Pickering stated.
Okowa, a proponent of the Kenya High Court, attained her professorial position in Public International Law at Queen Mary University of London, where she holds the role of director of graduate studies.
She was appointed as a judge to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2017.
The esteemed professor commenced her legal studies at the University of Nairobi, where she excelled and graduated at the pinnacle of her class, earning a Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree with First Class Honours.
She has taught law at prominent universities such as Bristol, Lille, Helsinki, Stockholm, and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center for Global Constitutionalism, among others.
Namibia Turns to Kenyan Professor to Argue Hague Case Due to Shortage of Qualified Lawyers
