Justice Ndung’u is Kenya’s candidate for election as a judge of the ICC during the 25th Assembly of State Parties scheduled for December 2026 in New York City.
In recent days, President Ruto has used high-level diplomatic engagements in Nairobi, including the Africa Forward Summit, to lobby support for Justice Ndung’u among visiting Heads of State and senior international leaders.
State House sources indicate that the President has personally introduced the Supreme Court judge to several influential leaders attending the summit and related bilateral meetings.
Among those he has engaged are Emmanuel Macron, Alassane Ouattara, Joseph Boakai and Julius Maada Bio.
The diplomatic push signals Kenya’s determination to strengthen its presence within international legal institutions, particularly at the ICC, where the country has previously maintained a complicated relationship dating back to the post-election violence cases of the late 2000s.
Justice Ndung’u, who currently serves at Kenya’s apex court, is widely recognised for her long legal and legislative career.
Before joining the Judiciary, she served as a nominated senator and played a key role in championing women’s rights and legal reforms in Kenya.
Her candidacy is expected to place Kenya in a competitive field as member states seek to fill judicial positions at the Hague-based court.
The election process often involves extensive diplomatic negotiations and regional lobbying among countries that are party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
President Ruto’s strategy appears focused on securing early political goodwill from African and European leaders whose countries hold influence within the Assembly of State Parties.
France and Sierra Leone, whose leaders have recently interacted with Ruto in Nairobi, are among the 125 member states of the Rome Statute and currently have sitting judges at the ICC.
Kenya is expected to continue its lobbying campaign in the months leading to the December 2026 vote, with diplomats likely to engage more countries across Africa, Europe and other regions in support of Justice Ndung’u’s bid.