Kenya withdraws from maritime border case with Somalia

Kenya has pulled out of the ICJ maritime border case with Somalia just a day to the scheduled hearing.

The Internatinal court of Justice had on March 9 announced, in a press statement, that the hearings would be conducted from Monday, March 15 to Wednesday, March 24.

According to reports, Kenya’s Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki communicated the decision to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying “Kenya wishes to inform the court, through the registrar, that it shall not be participating in the hearings in the case herein, should the same proceed from March 15 2021, as presently scheduled.

The letter further states that the COVID-19 pandemic means that Kenya has not been able to prepare adequately as it struck “just around the time that Kenya had recruited a new legal team.”

“The consequence of this is that Kenya and its legal team were deprived of the opportunity of having necessary preparatory meetings and engagements,” the Attorney-General said.

Kenya’s last-minute withdrawal came as a shock to many who have been following on the matter and expected the case to kick off after months of postmonment.