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Kenya has nominated Court of Appeal Judge Wanjiru Karanja for the position of judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Justice Karanja will face off against other 14 candidates from different countries for the election of six judges of the ICC.

The elections will be held from 4 to 14 December 2023 at the United Nations, New York during the twenty-second session of the Assembly of States Parties.

Justice Karanja has been nominated for list A, which includes candidates with established competence in criminal law and procedure, as well as the necessary experience in criminal law

The Kenyan Embassy at The Hague, in a letter to the Secretariat of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, indicates that the judge is willing to provide all relevant information in support of the nomination.

Kenya notes that Justice Karanja has a wealth of experience, spanning thirty-eight (38) years in Criminal Law and Procedure.

“She joined the Kenya judiciary in 1985, as a District Magistrate where she handled criminal matters which included offences like aggravated assault, burglary and theft, rape and defilement, manslaughter, robberies and other penal code offences,” documents filed at the Hague read in part.

According to the documents, she rose up the ladder as years went by and the jurisdiction expanded to include murder and other complicated matters.

“In 2004, the nominee was promoted to Judge of the High Court where other than handling murder trials in the first instance, the nominee 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,” Kenya added.

Justice Karanja was competitively elevated to the Court of Appeal in December 2011 where she continued handling appeals in criminal and civil matters, both from the subordinate courts and the High Court.

Kenya indicates that the judge is of impeccable moral character and her integrity and impartiality are beyond reproach.