Pres' Ruto unveils Justice Njoki Ndung’u’s election bid as Judge of the International Criminal Court

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00][applause] With your excellency, I request that we remain standing as we start the two starting [music] [music] [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Kenya supports an international criminal justice system grounded firmly on judicial independence, procedural fairness, impartiality, integrity, and fidelity to the Rome Statute.

[00:01:07]We support a court that commands confidence not through coercive authority, but through the quality, fairness, and credibility of its decisions.

[00:01:21]We support a court that remains attentive to victims.

[00:01:27]affected communities and national jurisdictions under the principle of complimentarity.

[00:01:35]And we support a court that recognizes that international justice and domestic justice systems must work in mutually reinforcing ways.

[00:01:49]For far too long, Africa has stood at the center of global conversations on conflict, accountability, displacement, democratic transition, and peaceuilding.

[00:02:04]Our continent understands deeply the consequence of impunity, political violence, terrorism, and institutional fragility.

[00:02:16]But Africa has also produced some of the world's most important lessons in constitutional reconstruction, democratic renewal, restorative justice, institutional reform, and peaceful coexistence.

[00:02:34]Africa therefore cannot remain merely the subject of international justice.

[00:02:41]Africa must help shape international justice and I believe firmly that the candidature of Lady Justif Join Dongu is going to achieve this end.

[00:02:56]I have listened very carefully to her statement and she has I thought I was persuaded that she was the right candidate but after listening to her I am even more persuaded that we have the right candidate. [applause] I knew she was good, but now I can confirm that she's the best and she has lived what I believe in that leadership and any leader must be judged by their track record and their vision.

[00:03:55]I have listened very carefully to the track record of Jokinu and I have carefully also listened to her vision about what she wants to do at the International Criminal Court and they are persuasive, coherent and meaningful and therefore At a very personal level, on behalf of the government of Kenya, you have our endorsement support and we are going to campaign for you [applause] whether at the ICC, the United Nations Security Council, the Breton Institutions or the wider architecture of global governance, decisions affect ffecting African peoples and African realities must increasingly include African voices, African experience and African leadership.

[00:05:03]The majority of cases before the ICC have involved African situations, African communities and African victims seeking justice.

[00:05:15]It is therefore both appropriate and necessary that Africa has strong, principled and highly qualified representation on that bench.

[00:05:31]Not to protect the powerful but to strengthen the legitimacy, universality and credibility of international justice itself.

[00:05:45]It is in this context that Kenya proudly presents the candidature of the honorable lady justice Dongu who is not just an accomplished tourist.

[00:06:02]She represents an entire generation of Kenyan constitutional reformers who helped steer this country from one of the most consequential democratic transitions in our history.

[00:06:19]Kenya and Kenya's role is to ensure that the international community recognizes her immense value and benefits from her experience, integrity and contribution to the advancement of justice.

[00:06:41]And I am very proudly here to not only endorse her candidature but to also rally the government of Kenya and all our institutions to support her candidature that of Phoebe Okoa and to ask all of us as has been said here that this is not about a person.

[00:07:12]This is about a nation.

[00:07:16]Our candidature that of Phoebe is about Kenya.

[00:07:21]It's not about her. It's not about the next person, William R or the other people. It's about all of us. And therefore, there are moments when we stand together as a nation irrespective of all other considerations.

[00:07:39]This is one such moment.

[00:07:44]Every opportunity any one of us irrespective of what space you are in is a divine opportunity.

[00:07:55]And there's a reason why circumstances and God gives you that opportunity.

[00:08:04]And I think you listen very carefully Lady Justice Joi that this is not just an election.

[00:08:13]It is also a defined opportunity for you to speak and give an African perspective and bring African experience and all the other experiences that you have gone through to international justice.

[00:08:36]And as I say so about you and I say so about every other Kenyan that has an opportunity to make a contribution either to our nation or in any other capacity.

[00:08:52]And it is for the same reason that I consider my election as president as an opportunity to do something that God wants me to do in this country.

[00:09:14]And that is why Daisy says I have made all the difficult decisions.

[00:09:21]I want to tell you there was nobody else that was going to make those decisions.

[00:09:25]It was going to be William R. And that is why I got the opportunity to be president of this country and I will discharge that responsibility with courage.

[00:09:41]Kenya therefore presents to the international community not simply a candidate with technical legal competence but a jurist shaped by Africa's constitutional struggles, democratic transitions, human rights movements and the experience of institutional rebuilding.

[00:10:04]Let me say one more thing.

[00:10:07]Joi, early this year when this opportunity arose, Justice Noki together with other distinguished Kenyan jurists presented themselves for a competitive nomination process. As we have been told by the lady chief justice, under the Rome Statute, individuals do not simply present themselves for the ICC bench.

[00:10:36]Their country must believe in them enough to sponsor and field their candidature.

[00:10:46]Kenya reviewed her record, reflected on her many years of distinguished service in the legislature, in uh um the attorney general's office, in the Supreme Court, and considered her lifelong contribution to constitutionalism, gender justice, the protection of the vulnerable, and many another of her contribution.

[00:11:17]Without hesitation, I concluded that she is exceptionally well suited for this important international responsibility.

[00:11:31]And it is therefore my singular honor on behalf of the Republic of Kenya to respectfully invite state parties to their own statute to support the candidature of honorable lady justice Joe Kindu for election as judge of the international criminal court 2027 2036.

[00:11:57]I thank you. [applause] Today, Kenya stands before the international community not merely to endorse a candidature but to strengthen the course of international justice by presenting one of our most accomplished and distinguished jurists.

[00:12:24]the honorable lady justice Susan Joi as Kenya's candidate for election as judge of the international criminal court for the year 2027 2036 term.

[00:12:46]In presenting her candidature, we affirm our belief in a rules-based international order, the independence of the judicial institutions, and the universal principle that justice must remain fair, impartial, and accessible to all nations and to all peoples alike.

[00:13:12]Ladies and gentlemen, the ICC occupies a singular place in the architecture of global justice.

[00:13:20]It exists because humanity resolved that genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression must never be normalized.

[00:13:36]It exists because the global community agreed that the gravest crimes known to humankind must never go unanswered simply because perpetrators possess political, military or economic power.

[00:13:55]But the authority of such a court ultimately rests on one thing, legitimacy.

[00:14:05]And legitimatist depends on fairness, authorance to evidence, consistency, universality, and equal application of the law and unwavering judicial independence.

[00:14:22]International justice cannot endure if it is perceived as selective or preferential.

[00:14:32]No global institution can command confidence if justice appears vulnerable to geopolitics or unequal power relations.

[00:14:47]This is not because institutions are invaluable, but because civilization depends on institutions capable of defending the weak against the powerful, protecting victims against impunity and ensuring that no one stands above the law. Everything that has been said about Joi is correct.

[00:15:16]Her professional journey reflects fidelity to justice, institutional integrity, constitutionalism, and human dignity.

[00:15:27]For more than three decades, she has served with distinction across prosecutorial, legislative, constitutional reform, and judicial responsibilities from her early years prosecuting serious criminal offenses as a state council.

[00:15:46]and her role in shaping Kenya's constitutional transformation to distinguished service at the Supreme Court of Kenya. Her career has consistently been defined by courage, intellect, and commitment to justice. As a member of the committee of experts that drafted Kenya's 2010 constitution following the 2008 crisis, she helped rebuild Kenya's constitutional order around accountability, inclusion, institutional checks and balances and democratic renewal.

[00:16:28]That experience matters profoundly for the work of the ICC because international criminal justice is not only about punishment.

[00:16:40]It is also about helping societies confront trauma, rebuild legitimacy, restore public confidence, and strengthen institutions capable of sustaining peace.

[00:16:57]But her contribution extends far beyond the bench.

[00:17:02]As a legislator, she led transformative reforms, as we have been told here, on sexual and gender based violence, including the enactment of Kenya's sexual offenses act in 2006.

[00:17:19]She also contributed to the development of the Maputoa Protocol, one of Africa's most consequential human rights instruments for the protection of women's dignity and rights.

[00:17:34]These experiences have given her a deep appreciation of survivor centered justice, accountability for gender-based crimes and protection of vulnerable populations in conflict and postconlict settings.

[00:17:52]This is not about a person.

[00:17:55]This is about a nation.

[00:17:59]candidature that of Phoebe is about Kenya.

[00:18:04]It's not about her. It's not about the next person, William R or the other people. It's about all of us. And therefore, there are moments when we stand together as a nation irrespective of all other considerations.

[00:18:22]This is one such moment that we must stand together.

[00:18:30]There are moments when it is about Kenya and when it's about Kenya, it's about us. It's about each and every one of us.

[00:18:42]I was very very proud about Kenya being able to host serious international engagements.

[00:18:54]We hosted the Africa climate summit which was a very historic moment on climate diplomacy.

[00:19:05]We are hosting the only UN headquarters in the global south right here in Nairobi.

[00:19:15]And yesterday we concluded the hosting of the Africa Forward summit that brought together 35 heads of state and government, our friends from uh France and Europe and others.

[00:19:36]Such moments are moments when we step forward as a nation and we put aside any partisan considerations and stand together as a country and as a people and a nation.

[00:19:59]We must never adulterate such uh occasions.

[00:20:06]Jokinu has been a very courageous person. She has not shied away when it was [snorts] the right thing for her to stand. Even if stand alone, she stood alone and that is the essence of leadership.

[00:20:28]Um she has asked me because it's rare to deliver on the 23 gender rule.

[00:20:42]A very difficult assignment. She knows it because it involves all manner of people, different institutions and all that.

[00:20:57]But I will do my best. I still want to assure you that I will do my best.

[00:21:04]Um, all I'm asking from my sister Daisy and all the other actors in that space is that the same way you have said, Joi was very strategic when it was time to pass the uh bills on uh uh sexual offenses act and you you had to negotiate with different actors in different place. I have tried to persuade um the women movement in Kenya that let's be strategic.

[00:21:46]Maybe we need some lessons from Joy on how to be strategic.

[00:21:51]I appreciate that we have a great country and everybody wants to be here because we have a beautiful country.

[00:22:03]Uh very few people want to go and live in those other places. But you see, we have a duty and a responsibility to the international community as well because uh just as we expect others to serve us in those positions in the international space, we should also um uh participate so that our contribution, our perspectives, our experience can be brought into the international arena. And therefore I want to encourage more Kenyans to we have so many international positions for them to apply so that we can take our influence as a nation to the international um arena.

[00:22:56]When the president got communication, he was at the forefront in endorsing the nomination.

[00:23:06]He actually went ahead of bureaucracy and gave us direction and told us it is so decided.

[00:23:15][applause] So we did what we had to do. Uh we have all signed the cabinet memo.

[00:23:25]uh because bureaucracy is now chasing the decision.

[00:23:28]Uh I have signed it as foreign affairs uh attorney general has signed and the treasury has signed but I'll not disclose how much we are looking for that is a separate matter to help this campaign. So I just want to say that the government is fully aligned uh and the president has made it very clear that uh we have to go flat out uh to support uh your candidacy uh for the ICC.

[00:24:03]Um the other thing that I would just want to flag is that uh I can attest to the fact that his excellency has already uh left the blocks because he has already pitched and canvased with quite a number of nations already.

[00:24:29]So he's not waiting. uh he's moving the final thing is really to speak to Kenyans your excellency because under foreign affairs there's a division on candidacies where we are able to rally talented Kenyans deserving Kenyans competent Kenyans to some of these international um uh assignments u it's an important area.

[00:25:03]But the appeal I really want to make is that when a president endorses a candidate, we need as a nation to ensure that we get the signal right.

[00:25:21]That is now a Kenyan candidate.

[00:25:25]That is what it symbolizes. [applause] And we must divorce that from any local partisan issues.

[00:25:35]We are going to canvas in one instance 190 plus countries and in this in instance 125.

[00:25:47]We cannot go there saying hoy hoy.

[00:25:51]Uh it's a different ballgame alto together. uh and we must be united uh so that we focus on Kenya as a nation and his stamp of approval is Kenya's signal. It is not partisan.

[00:26:11]We should not bring any local sideshows into this campaign. Let us all rally as a nation because we are seeking something that will make Kenya proud in the international arena.

[00:26:28]>> Kenya's nomination of honorable Justice Jokinu is the outcome of a very deliberate consultative and meritbased national process.

[00:26:42]This nomination is informed by Kenya's prior contribution to the court including the very distinguished service that was rendered to the court by the honorable justice Joyce Har who served as a judge of the ICC from 2009 to 2018.

[00:27:07]Notably, it has also been informed by the lessons of previous candidature cycles. I want to mention that Kenya considered uh putting forward a candidate in 2022, but considered deferring that decision and the candidature for 2022, allowing the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to work in consultation with the Office of the President and the Judiciary so that we could have sufficient ient time for reflection for diplomatic alignment and preparation of a stronger and more coordinated national effort and I want to say the time is now.

[00:28:03]In the current cycle, the process was formally initiated by the honorable attorney general formed by notification from the assembly of state parties and was undertaken in accordance with article 36 of the Rome statute and the standard set by the advisory committee on nomination of judges.

[00:28:31]When that process was started and transmitted to the judiciary, the judiciary invited expressions of interest from all judges of the superior courts, subjected the applications to rigorous evaluation by the judicial service commission and transmitted the three recommended candidates for consideration by his excellency the president.

[00:28:58]It is upon the conclusion of this transparent and competitive process that his excellency the president nominated honorable lady justice Joe Kindongo CBS FC federal satan institute arbitrators judge of the supreme court of Kenya as Kenya's candidate for election to the international criminal court I want to emphasize that justice joy put in her own application for nomination.

[00:29:32]The nomination was made in good time within the official nomination window, enabling Kenya to mount a well-prepared, well-coordinated and nationally supported campaign. Your excellency, this moment affirms an important truth that the judiciary is not only a domestic institution of justice but also a very strategic national asset in Kenya's international profile.

[00:30:06]Around the world, nations are increasingly judged by the strength of their institutions, the independence of their courts, and the credibility of their commitment to the rule of law. In that regard, the Kenya Judiciary is our country's foremost defender of constitutionalism, human rights, democratic accountability, and institutional integrity.

[00:30:39]This standing has handed Kenya reverence both at home and abroad. It has also made our judiciary an exceptional training ground for judges who understand that justice must be principled, courageous, independent and outrave the context within which we live. As a matter of fact, because Justice at Welch mentioned peace building, your excellency on 19th June, we are hosting as Kenya a forum of Africa chief justices where we are discussing alternative justice resolution because this is the mode of justice delivery that resonates with our African people and we are showcasing ing the work we have done to organize communities into NJS forums what we call Ukumbis to discuss and where they have been discussing their problems and resolving problems and building harmony within communities. We are showcasing this to the whole of Africa continent and Kenya is taking the r including from firing our Nairobi center for dis dispute resolution as a forum where disputes can be resolved instead of the continent traveling to Asia, traveling to Middle East or traveling to land and to resolve disputes. Nairobi is a hub, a center of dispute resolution. Kenya's judicial tradition is increasingly defined by bold and transformative juristprudence.

[00:32:39]Jewish prudence that embraces African realities, pan-African constitutionalism, indigenous justice systems, human dignity, equality, and a deep understanding of international human rights. This is the foundation from which Kenya presents honorable de Justice Joe Kindongo to the international community in the forthcoming election of the court December 2026.

[00:33:14]Six judicial positions will be open for election of the court. Of these two positions must be filled by candidates from the African continent.

[00:33:25]This presents an important opportunity for Africa to contribute judicial wisdom, our judicial courage, judicial experience and legal perspectives that are shaped by constitutional transformation, victim centered justice and postconlict recovery, restorative justice, democratic renewal and relentless pursuit of accountability.

[00:33:54]Kenya has consistently, your excellency, supported multilateralism, the rule of law, peaceful resolution of disputes and cooperation with international institutions.

[00:34:08]We have also invested deeply in building an independent judiciary capable of protecting rights, capable of resolving very complex disputes and sustaining public confidence in constitutional governance.

[00:34:24]In diplomatic terms, your excellency Kenya's candidature represents not only a request for support, but a continuation of our longstanding relationship of cooperation, reciprocity, and shared commitment to international criminal justice. Honorable Join Dongu embodies the depth and seriousness of Kenya's judicial tradition. She brings to the candidature experience across prosecution, registration, constitutional reform, human rights, gender justice and adjudication at the apex court of very very complex matters. Our career reflects the very qualities required of an international judge. a judge of integrity, independence, courage, intellectual death, and fidelity to the law. She's a jurist shaped by Kenya's constitutional journey, Africa's legal traditions as she worked at the African Union, and a profound commitment to justice that serves both uh principle and humanity.

[00:35:40]A judge from Africa must bring an African perspective.

[00:35:45]Africa has often carried the weight of ICC scrutiny, sometimes accompanied by perception of bias. The ICC must confront bias directly, not deny it, and craft solutions that reflect Africa's context rather than to impose external models of justice on Africa. It is important for the ICC to rebuild its relationship with Africa.

[00:36:14]The jurisperience of the ICC also to date reflects little or no reference to African case law, African scholarly work or even to African jurists. It is important that Africa's legal experiences be embedded in the case law and jurisperience of the International Criminal Court. And this I will do. The elections for judge of ICC for which I seek your support is scheduled for December 2026 where state parties will elect six judges from all over the world. If elected, if I am elected, then Kenya will bring to the court a deep respect for judicial independence, a firm belief in procedural fairness, and a pragmatic understanding of how justice must function in practice.

[00:37:07]Beyond the bench, my past work as a legislator required a courage of a different kind. finding ways to deal with conflict, negotiating across divides, and crafting laws and policies that provide for gender justice, including the sexual offenses act, the maternity and paternity benefits, and in the African Union, working on the Maputo protocol on women's rights.

[00:37:34]The second value which is most important to a judge of the ICC is pragmatism.

[00:37:39]Which means balancing ideals with realities. Ensuring that justice is principled, workable and trusted by those it serves by crafting solutions that respond to specific needs of member states, ensuring accountability and strengthening domestic institutions so that justice is not perpetually outsourced to the ICC. My career has been shaped by institutions where the law meets life. In civil society, at the African Union, the United Nations, in the National Parliament, at the Panaffrican Parliament, at the committee of experts that drafted the Constitution of Kenya, and in the judiciary where I have learned the importance of being pragmatic. My vision therefore for the ICC is about grounding ideals in lived realities, ensuring that the ICC serves not only as a court of last resort, but also as a partner in building resilient national systems of justice. A court that applies legal principles equally across all the regions of the world.

[00:38:44]Efficiency, ladies and gentlemen, is a third charact characteristic vital for a judge of the ICC. And it means more than case management. It means integrating modern systems, streamlining investigations, accelerating hearings, and to reduce the time victims have to wait for justice.

[00:39:03]As a former criminal prosecutor under the working under the director of public prosecutions in the AG's office, I and as a judge of a collegial court, I have worked to ensure consistency in the application of rules, to run a court effectively and to manage hearings in a way that prevents delays. This experience has taught me that efficiency is about about structure, discipline and foresight. And it is this experience that I also bring to the ICC.

[00:39:36]Now everybody has spoken about uh Lady Justice's uh distinguished and illustrious career which is so but I want to speak on a personal level because I have known Joy for years.

[00:39:53]We have come a long way from when from our girlhood let's say girlhood from those days and I have watched her from when she was a state council and I will say this about her and this is not flattery this is really about the person that we are here to celebrate her candidature.

[00:40:19]Jockey is a person of courage and conviction.

[00:40:24]She's not afraid to take a stand when a stand needs to be taken. I recall even when she was state council, she had the audacity to actually take a stand against a particular view which got her into quite a bit of trouble. But she said that it was against the administration of justice.

[00:40:44]Joy Domo as she has climbed. I will tell you that she's also a very strategic thinker and organizer.

[00:40:55]When she was a member of parliament and working on the sexual offenses act, it took a lot of convincing because there was a lot of resistance. The male members of parliament, I remember even one of them said because at that time Jacob Zuma was being tried in South Africa for sex crime and they said this is the law that they want to bring so that they can take us the Zuma way. And so Jockey helped divi devis a strategy called in civil society and devised a strategy mapping identifying the resistance and adopting a message and we adopted members of parliament. She got some of the most conservative men to be the ones to support the sexual offenses bill at that time and it passed. And when you think about where we are coming from and the traditional character, you understand that it took a lot of strategy to be able to pull that off. As Jocki has risen through the ranks, she has not become too big to engage.

[00:42:09]I will tell you that even as a Supreme Court judge, as civil society, when we have needed assistance, there was a time that there was a proposal to lower the age of sexual consent uh from 18 to 16 years old and there was panic about what that entailed and what that meant for women and girls in Kenya.

[00:42:29]Jockey was happy to support us. She took off her robes and she would come to the office and sit. I remember the first day that she came to the office, the guards were very shocked. They said, "Is that Supreme Court judge because sometimes you engage with people and they become, you know, talk to my PA, you know, but not jockey. She's a woman of courage and conviction. I have heard her commitments and I've read them about bringing Africa's perspective to the ICC and you can be sure that if there is a voice that Kenya needs at the ICC or that Africa needs, jock's voice is it. She has not been afraid to take unpopular positions. She talked about her dissenting opinion. What she didn't say is what it cost her. I think you all know as politicians Kenya can be a very difficult place when you take an unpopular opinion and some of her positions which are of conviction have put her in serious crosshairs with people threats and all but that doesn't make her hold back and that's the kind of leadership that we need and so even as Kenya has endorsed her I want to say this I also commit to rallying civil society because I know that part of the ICC process will be a Congress of CSOS, civil society and we are going to call upon our civil society and women rights organizations to be patriotic because this is for Kenya and Kenya blazes the trail. We have just had the Africa Forward um conference. Africa is the new frontier and Kenya is the one that is leading that trail. And so I want to thank you and congratulate you Joi and wish you the very best and to remind you this one thing and I say this to you and to all of us. There is a lady who said that each one of us is a voice that God speaks into a generation. meaning that each one of us carries a certain mandate that only we can execute in this lifetime. and jockey with your work even with the sexual offenses bill you know you opened a whole world of other engagement today women are seen women are heard survivors sexual um and gender based survivors are seen and they are heard they are not ignored our government hears we have judicial processes for voices that were silent before I believe you are a voice a very clear voice that needs to speak now on the international stage. And so we will pray for the favor of Yahweh. I like the prayer that you prayed indeed. Except Yahweh builds a house, they labor in vain that build it. You have a serious political organizer supporting you because Mr. President, you have never lost an election and we don't plan to lose this one. So you must make sure we don't lose this one. We are firmly behind you. I am honored by the confidence of the government of Kenya that has placed in me by nominating and supporting my candidature for the election of judge of the international court criminal court for the year 2027 to 20 2036.

[00:46:05]I accept this endorsement with humility and gratitude.

[00:46:10]proud to do so as a Kenyan who has dedicated her professional life to the service of justice and the rule of law and the protection of human dignity. I am deeply grateful to his excellency President William R for his decisive leadership in advancing my candidature and personally introducing me to more presidents than I am sure I will ever meet. more heads of state in order to secure support ahead of the ICC election in December. I equally acknowledge the prime cabinet secretary, honorable Musalia Mudavadi, whose unwavering support together with the diligence of his permanent secretary, Dr. Kir Singo.

[00:46:54]They have both been instrumental in this journey. I owe a special debt of gratitude to the Chief Justice Martha K whose confidence in my ability to serve, her mentorship and her encouragement for me to seek higher office has always been invaluable.

[00:47:11]The same gratitude I wish to extend to my elder sister Ambassador Ida Odinga and to Justice Joyce Alo for ever encouraging me in my career development and personal life. As you are aware, the International Criminal Court was established to adjudicate the gravest of crimes under international criminal law and possibly act as a deterrent against these crimes. Yet, the geopolitical challenges of today continue to test its mandate. The world is still witnessing systematic violations of human rights, crimes against humanity, and conflicts that destabilize societies.

[00:47:59]Faced with these realities, the International Criminal Court requires judges that fiercely defend judicial independence to ensure that the court is not used a political theater, but remains firmly anchored in the Rome Statute.

[00:48:17]Ladies and gentlemen, my candidacy is anchored in five values on five values which I believe define the character of a judge of the international criminal court and which is critical at this moment in time. These are courage, pragmatism, efficiency, victim centered justice and for a judge from Africa, the ability to bring Africa focus jurisputants.

[00:48:48]Courage as a judicial value is indispensable and judges of the IAC currently have faced direct threats, political pressure and even sanctions. Therefore, courage is the quality that enables the judges to uphold the law, to resist external pressure, and to defend the court's integrity against and attempts to transform the court into an instrument of politics. I believe my own career demonstrates this quality in courage of courage. In the Supreme Court, I have issued detailed dissenting opinions in high-profile constitutional and electoral cases, standing firm on principle. These dissents have been widely discussed in legal scholarship and public discourse for their emphasis on constitutional interpretation and the protection of human rights.

[00:49:43]Victims are at the core of international criminal justice and true justice must go beyond punishing perpetrators to restoring dignity. A victim- centered approach requires institutions that are safe, inclusive, and responsive. Places where survivors can participate meaningfully, having their voices heard, and see their rights protected. Equality of the law must be matched by equality in access to justice, ensuring that the victims are not sidelined by procedure or delay. My professional journey has always been victim- centered. At the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I work directly with refugees and asylum seekers and displaced communities whose lives had been shattered by conflict. And at the African Union, I witnessed the devastating consequences of violence on fragile societies.

[00:50:42]My work in on sexual and gender- based violence began then while doing protection work for refugees and I've continued this work through the legislation such as the sexual offenses act, through case law and through institution building in all the places that I have worked for the international criminal court. The urgency of victim- centered justice is clear. Communities devastated by conflict often wait years for reparations and prolonged trials erode faith in international justice. A credible ICC therefore must prioritize timely redress, strengthen the trust fund for victims and ensure equitable support where the need is greatest.

[00:51:26]State parties also critically examine the country the country the candidate is coming from. Fortunately, by the time that um for first and foremost, your excellency, the successful African forum summit that has just ended, that's a big plus for our candidate. Very big plus.

[00:51:46]Thank you. [applause] So, it is important uh your excellency that we talk about peace, peace building, mediation, and peace building to take us forward.

[00:52:02]I'm saying this because I'm my personally I'm a certified international mediator and a peaceuilder and I saw that that worked very well for two years when I was in South Sudan reforming the judiciary of South Sudan.

[00:52:18]Peace building helped a lot and that is the that's where we are going to move to now. Now I'm a very keen Rotarian your excellency very very keen and you know Rotary service above self and very soon on the 4th of July I'll be installed as a president of the oldest Rotary club in this country that all the senior Rotarians belong there started in 1930 and my moto is peace and I especially want to work with the younger generation mentorship the and they are called rotar rotaracts the younger generation are rotaracts basically they are genzies I that's the name that they are gz's so if we can get them in order if we can mentor them and that is my moto for the next one year mentor them if I can find other organizations that are able to work with me so that we mentor so that by the time our sister goes for election or the Dr. Phoebe goes for elections.

[00:53:30]We are reasonably we are people that we the world can trust because sometimes our younger generation our genzes they are misused they are cheated they are you know so I want mine is I'm preaching peace peace building and peace everywhere so that we can have we have we have a very good candidate there is no reason I've told my sister justice joy there is no reason why she cannot to win these elections.

[00:54:02]I give her little nick tips here and there, tips here and there. And I told her, you have to win and you have to do better than what I did.

[00:54:16]Thank you, your excellency. And I just sincerely hope that I will manage from from 4th of July moving forward I will manage to mentor the younger generation. Rotaracts and once we mentor rotaracts they're going to mentor other young people so that we have peace in the country. We need peace everywhere every day. Thank you very much.

[00:54:40][applause] And I remember Joi once saying, "You are my mentor. I want to model my life on yours. Why do I want to come up with this?"

[00:54:55]I think God gives everybody just one career.

[00:55:00]Um, Mr. President, I think yours was politics and you have done well.

[00:55:05]Um, those who went into defending straight out of law school defend all their lives. Those who start with prosecution stay close to a certain line. And that line is defending victims.

[00:55:24]When you're a prosecutor, you are always looking at the victim side, not the perpetrator side. So in Justice Joke's line, I see everything that has been said about her. What she said about herself, what she says was her career line.

[00:55:47]She went into prosecution, went into civil society, went into politics, ended up in the Supreme Court. But her original line was prosecution. And when I listened to her today, the most passion was evident when she discussed defending victims and bringing justice to those who are defiled and those who are wronged and those who are killed and so on. So what I see today is a natural career progression. I must say, Justice Joki, I wondered why you were hanging around in the Supreme Court for so long.

[00:56:26]After 13 years, what more can you be doing? You've seen it all. You've adjudicated upon it all. You now must go back to your life's passion, which is criminal justice. And in this case, international criminal justice. You're going there. I look at your CV. I look at your career. You are more than qualified. I don't want to say overqualified because an interviewer says then they won't give you the job.

[00:56:55]you are more than qualified on our part and I speak today on behalf of not only the senior council bar that I chair but on behalf of the legal fraternity law society included we fully endorse we fully support your candidature we have seen what President William R's administration does when it supports a candidate it throws in everything this is just the start and on our heart. Um I can tell you you were escorted by the attorney general and the vice chair of the senior council bar Joyce Joyce um um Majiwa.

[00:57:36]We offer you some of our seniors led by Joyce Maji to accompany you on some of your missions to secure support.

[00:57:47]So Mr. president. When she says she has friends, [applause] make available enough for a ticket or two for friends.

[00:57:55]Um, when she has a cold, she has to have enough people walking with her and speaking for