Justice Isaac Lenaola, Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya has been re-elected President of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges for a second term.
Justice Lenaola, who was first elected President of the Association in February 2020 in San Jose, Costa Rica, was re-elected unopposed on Friday in The Netherlands, during the Association’s Biannual Conference.
In a statement issued in The Hague, the Association singled out Justice Lenaola as a highly experienced judge, who has exhibited great professionalism, dedication, and commitment to promoting the rights of refugees and migrants.
His visionary leadership has helped the association to grow and establish itself as a critical force in promoting justice and fairness to vulnerable members of the society.
The re-election of Justice Lenaola is a clear indication of the trust and confidence that members of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges have in his leadership.
“We are confident that he will continue to steer the association in the right direction, promote international cooperation, and provide the necessary guidance in dealing with complex migration and refugee-related legal issues,” the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges said.
The Association congratulated Justice Lenaola on his re-election and pledged to work closely with him to promote the objectives of the Association.
Thee Association’s Biannual Conference also resolved to hold its next Conference in Kenya in 2025.
The Association has over 400 members globally comprising four Chapters representing Europe, Americas, Asia-Pacific and Africa.
Who is Justice Lenaola?
Justice Lenaola is an alumnus of the University of Nairobi and the Kenya School of Law.
After admission to the bar, he practiced law in Nairobi specialising in Commercial Law and Land Law and served as a Commissioner both at the Peoples Commission of Kenya (PCK) and at the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (CKRC).
He also served as a member of the Tribunal Investigating the conduct of Puisne Judges.
He joined the judicial service in 2003 and worked as Resident Judge in Embu, Meru, Machakos and Kakamega High Courts.
As a High Court Judge, Hon. Justice Lenaola also served as a Commissioner at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
He was previously a Member of the Board, Judicial Training Institute (JTI) and Chairman of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) and Treasurer of the East African Magistrates and Judges Association (EAMJA).
Until his appointment as Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Lenaola was the Presiding Judge of the Constitutional and Human Rights Division at the High Court in Milimani, Nairobi where he rendered illuminating and ground breaking decisions on human rights, devolution, separation of powers among other areas of jurisprudence.
In all the stations he served outside Nairobi, he is reputed for diligence, hard work and has on many occasions been cited as an example in the best of case management and backlog clearance.
Justice Lenaola has served as Judge and Deputy Principal Judge of the Court of First Instance of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) from 2011 to 2018 and as a Judge at the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCL) from 2013 to-date.
He is President of the Advisory Council of the Strathmore Institute for Advanced Studies in International Criminal Justice (SIASIC).
He is a Fellow of McLaughlin College, York University, Toronto, Canada and Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb).
He is also Chairman of the Judicial Action Group (JAG) and a member of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, (CMJA), the Accountability Panel of the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and also the African Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF).
Justice Lenaola was awarded the Law Society of Kenya award for distinguished service in the Administration of Justice (2008), the East African Law Society honorary membership award for exemplary service and the development of jurisprudence in Kenya and the East African Region (2015) as well as distinguished service awards in the service of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges (IARMJ) (2014 and 2018).
He is a recipient of the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) and Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) from the President of the Republic of Kenya for distinguished service in the administration of justice in Kenya and the East African Region.
He has also been named Jurist of the Year by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)-Kenya Chapter (2019).