By WAHOME THUKU
Kenya: Two Kenyan judges have been picked to head two courts in West and East Africa.
Court of Appeal judge Philip Waki has been elected the President of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL) in West Africa.
Waki was elected by 16 judges of the court, for a renewable term of two years.
The judges are drawn from Sierra Leone, Kenya, United Kingdom, United States, Samoa, Northern Ireland, Botswana, Uganda, Canada and Austria.
Ten of the Judges were appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General and six by the Government of Sierra Leone.
They will serve on a roster and may only be called in part-time capacity on matters arising from the ongoing legal obligations of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Justice Waki has also served as an alternate judge of the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court of Sierra Leon set up to try the now convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor.
In East Africa, High Court judge Isaac Lenaola, who is also a member of the RSCSL, has been appointed the Deputy Principal Judge of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), based in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EACJ is one of the organs of the East African Community established under Article 9 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.
“The two distinguished appointments of Justices Waki and Lenaola signal rising international recognition of Kenya’s judiciary and the transformation program it has embarked on which we must protect and promote,” said Chief Justice Willy Mutunga in a statement.
“It is a strong statement of confidence in the work of our institution and the quality of those who serve in it. It is a great honour for Kenya,” he added
