This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
Kenya's Office of the Attorney-General has asked the International Court of Justice to grant a 12-month postponement in a maritime boundary case filed by Somalia.
The request comes after the ICJ initially granted a two-month delay for the public hearings, which were scheduled for September 9 but moved to November 4 this year.
Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau told The Nation that the time granted by the Court would not be enough for Nairobi to prepare, citing the need for a longer period to recruit a new legal team.
"It is the same request for the 12-month postponement that was being revisited at the invitation of the acting president of the case because we only got 55 days last time which is simply unworkable for Kenya," he said.
Kenya is seeking to delay the case, arguing that it needs time to prepare and recruit a new legal team. Somalia has opposed Kenya's request from the start, and the two countries are at odds over the maritime boundary.
The ICJ will review Kenya's request next week, and a decision is expected to be made soon.
