"I Smell Rat" SC Ahmednasir Drops Night Bombshell Alleges This on Justice Njoki's ICC Nomination

Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi sparked intense debate on social media with a scathing critique of the Kenyan government's recent judicial nominations to international courts.

In a post that quickly gained traction, he questioned the logic behind President William Ruto's administration nominating Supreme Court Justice Njoki Ndung'u for a judgeship at the International Criminal Court while actively campaigning for Professor Phoebe Okowa to secure a full nine-year term at the International Court of Justice.

Abdullahi highlighted that Kenya initially nominated Okowa to the ICJ, where she was elected in November 2025 to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf of Somalia.

Widely regarded as one of the leading scholars in international law, Okowa became the first Kenyan to serve on the court and only the eighth woman in its history. 

Her current term runs until February 2027, and Kenya has launched a strong bid for her re-election to a full term starting that year.

However, last month the government nominated Justice Ndung'u for election to the ICC bench in December 2026 elections. 

Abdullahi argued that Kenya lacks the global influence to secure seats on both the ICJ and ICC simultaneously, given the need for fair regional and gender representation among member states.

He pointed out the close timing of the elections, suggesting that a win for Ndung'u could weaken Okowa's prospects in 2027, as competing nations might cite Kenya's existing ICJ presence as a reason to oppose another Kenyan judge at the ICC.

The lawyer bluntly accused the government of playing a questionable game, asking which of the two accomplished women was being positioned for failure and why. 

He concluded by stating he smelled a rat in the strategy, implying ulterior motives beyond advancing Kenya's international judicial profile.

The remarks have fueled speculation about internal priorities, with some observers suggesting political calculations at play ahead of future national events. 

Others defend the nominations as efforts to place qualified Kenyans on global stages. As campaigns intensify for both courts, the controversy underscores the challenges of balancing national ambitions in multilateral arenas.