This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
On September 6, 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) agreed to delay the public hearing of a case in which Somalia has sued Kenya over a maritime boundary dispute.
The case had been scheduled for hearing next week, with a verdict expected by September 19, 2019. However, Kenya requested a delay, citing the need to recruit a new legal team.
According to the ICJ, Kenya had asked to delay the hearings by up to a year, citing inability to be adequately represented. The court has now rescheduled the public hearings for November 4, 2019.
Kenya's Attorney-General, Kihara Kariuki, stated that the delay was necessary due to exceptional circumstances, occasioned by the need to recruit a new defence team.
Kenya has just under 60 days to find a new team of lawyers, who will represent the country in the case. The original legal team, which included Prof Payam Akhavan from the US, Prof Vaughan Lowe QC from the UK, and others, will no longer be representing Kenya.
