News & Analysis

Connection between Human Rights and Meaningful Public Participation in Development

Published

1 year ago

April 26, 2022

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By Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD (Leading Environmental Law Scholar, Policy Advisor, Natural Resources Lawyer and Dispute Resolution Expert from Kenya), Winner of Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021, ADR Publisher of the Year 2021 and CIArb (Kenya) Lifetime Achievement Award 2021.*

The United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development states that development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom. The Declaration also provides that the right to development is an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized.

“People today have an urge – an impatient urge – to participate in the events and processes that shape their lives. And that impatience brings many dangers and opportunities. It can dissolve into anarchy, ethnic violence or social disintegration. But if properly nurtured in a responsive national and global framework, it can also become a source of tremendous vitality and innovation for the creation of new and more just societies.” (UNDP, 1993: 1) The international human rights law is designed primarily to protect individuals and groups from abusive action by states and state agents.

While it is true that most of the investment projects are financed and carried out by international companies, with Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) and multi-national development banks having long track records of being critical providers of financing in Africa, supplying riskier, longer term investment capital that tends to focus on sustainability, some commentators have accused some international and multinational investors of alleged human rights and environmental abuses, including using child labor to clean toxic materials, failing to repair pipeline leakages, and operating in protected indigenous lands without authorization especially in developing countries. As far as trade agreements are concerned, there have also been worldwide concerns in relation to the lack of transparency of the negotiations as far as citizens are concerned, in contrast with the fundamental role being played by the large multinationals. Notably, the negotiations are the result of long-term efforts by ultraliberal circles, politicians and directors of multinationals, working through many common bodies and the treaties are not published until, at best, the negotiations have been concluded.

It has been argued that the international protection of human rights and environmental protection represent two of the fundamental values and aims of modern international society. It has been opined that ‘the rights to the highest attainable standard of health and to an adequate standard of living depend on a certain degree of environmental quality and in several cases, environmental degradation or destruction has been viewed as a violation of these human rights’. In addition to this, destruction of the environment through such problems as pollution or global warming can directly interfere with the enjoyment of communities’ fundamental human rights including a wide range of social and cultural right as well.

Notably, among the extraordinary achievements of the Declaration on the Right to Development is the advancement of a human rights-based approach to development. For those who advocate for this approach, ‘development from a human rights perspective embraces as key attributes: Social justice (through inclusion, equality and non-discrimination, taking the human person as the central subject of development and paying special attention to the most deprived and excluded); Participation, accountability and transparency (through free, meaningful and active participation, focusing on empowerment); and international cooperation (as the right to development is a solidarity-based right).

Participatory development, as it is popularly referred to, has been defined as: “development that seeks to give the poor a part in initiatives and projects that are designed by outside organizations in the hopes that these projects will be more sustainable and successful by involving local stakeholders in the projects goals.” Community participation has been defined as the involvement of people in a community in projects to solve their own problems, where people should be given the opportunity where possible to participate as a basic human right and a fundamental principle of democracy. The need for public participation and respect for human rights is important for development projects to gain social license to operate.38 This is because as it has been observed, ‘a development process often has four phases: articulation of demand, knowledge generation, dissemination and knowledge utilization where the result of the development cycle is that the solutions are implemented, and the more ownership is felt in all steps of this process, the more applicable the solutions are. Thus, rapid and sustained economic growth (“development”), popular political participation (“democracy”), and respect for the rights of their citizens (“human rights”) are considered to be hegemonic political ideals all around the world.

A Social License to Operate (SLO) refers to the perceptions of local stakeholders that a project, a company, or an industry that operates in a given area or region is socially acceptable or legitimate.41 Companies can gain the social license through: maintaining positive corporate reputation; understanding culture, customs, language history and history of communities, among others; educating local stakeholders about project; ensuring open communication amongst all stakeholders; business partnerships with communities; workforce training; community support and capacity building; and employing innovation and technology. Arguably, these activities are capable of enhancing respect for human rights. As for communities, for them to grant the social license, they ask themselves the following questions: Do they Respect us? Are they Listening? Do they let us Participate? Do they let us Participate? Are they Transparent with us? Can we Believe what they say? Are they Responsive to our issues? Can we Trust them?

Companies must ensure that the answers to all these questions remain continually affirmative. It has been argued that ‘democratic governance and human rights are critical components of sustainable development and lasting peace’, where ‘countries with ineffective government institutions, rampant corruption, and weak rule of law are estimated to have a 30-to-45 percent higher risk of civil war and a higher risk of extreme criminal violence than other developing countries’. In addition, public involvement in decision-making processes is not only important for development projects affecting the environment, but is also necessary for identifying the impact projects will have on communities. Arguably, development, particularly at the local level, can be made much more effective by active public participation where effective civic action can hold governments accountable and ensure that the decisions of government are in line with the needs of citizens and thus potentially solve failures in government that plague most poor countries including; wastage and leakage, unequal access, corruption, and poor coordination.

Communities are mostly impacted upon by investments and development projects through what is popularly known as the impact investing, defined which is “part of the decades-old tradition of corporate social responsibility that holds domestic and international financial institutions and corporations accountable for harmful employment, community, or environmental impacts.” Impact investments have also defined as “investments made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. ”As far as impact investment in Kenya is concerned, Kenya has in the recent past been ranked highly compared to its East African counterparts, with Kenya representing nearly half of impact capital disbursed in East Africa—more than USD 650 million by non-development finance institutions (non-DFIs) impact investors and more than USD 3 billion by development finance institutions (DFIs), and more than triple the amount deployed in each of Uganda and Tanzania, the countries with the next highest amounts at around 13% and 12% respectively.

It has been observed that ‘while governments at every level –local, state, national –determine how to meet fundamental needs with constrained resources, impact investing continues to mature into a vehicle for innovative, socially oriented enterprises, where the convergence of these two macro-level developments can create opportunities for stakeholders and communities. The success of development activities is thus closely linked with the status of respect for human rights for concerned communities as well as how effectively these communities are involved in the processes leading to the negotiations leading to the seating up and operation of investment and development projects.

*This article is an extract from the Article “Upholding Human Rights and Meaningful Public Participation in Development Projects” by Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 (Nairobi Legal Awards), ADR Publisher of the Year 2021 and ADR Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (CIArb Kenya). Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a foremost Environmental Law and Natural Resources Lawyer and Scholar, Sustainable Development Advocate and Conflict Management Expert in Kenya. Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a Senior Lecturer of Environmental Law and Dispute resolution at the University of Nairobi School of Law and The Center for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP). He has published numerous books and articles on Environmental Law, Environmental Justice Conflict Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. Dr. Muigua is also a Chartered Arbitrator, an Accredited Mediator, the Africa Trustee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates. Dr. Muigua is recognized among the top 5 leading lawyers and dispute resolution experts in Kenya by the Chambers Global Guide 2022.

References

Muigua, K., “Upholding Human Rights and Meaningful Public Participation in Development Projects,” Available at: http://kmco.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Upholding-Human-Rights-and-Meaningful-Public-Participation-in-Development-Projects-AutoRecovered-Kariuki-Muigua-24th-May-2021.pdf (accessed 22 April 2022).

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News & Analysis

Legal and Policy Framework for Energy Transition in Kenya

Published

2 hours ago

September 28, 2023

Admin

By Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD (Leading Environmental Law Scholar, Sustainable Development Policy Advisor, Natural Resources Lawyer and Dispute Resolution Expert from Kenya), The African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021, CIArb (Kenya) Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 and ADR Publisher of the Year 2021 and Author of the Kenya’s First ESG Book: Embracing Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) tenets for Sustainable Development” (Glenwood, Nairobi, July 2023).

Energy plays an important role in Kenya and is one of the key drivers of socio-economic development. This has been recognized under the Vision 2030 development blueprint which identifies energy as one the key factors in spearheading economic, social and political development in the country. Kenya considers access to competitively-priced, reliable, quality, safe and sustainable energy as an essential ingredient for the country’s social –economic development. It has been argued that access to energy is a Constitutional right in Kenya. Although the Constitution does not expressly provide for the right to access to energy, it recognizes energy as part of the natural resources in Kenya. To this extent, the Constitution provides that natural resources mean the physical non-human factors and components, whether renewable or non-renewable, including inter alia rocks, minerals, fossil fuels and other sources of energy.

The Constitution also enshrines the principle of Sustainable Development. Enhancing universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services including renewable sources of energy is an essential part of the Sustainable Development agenda. The Energy Act, 2019 was enacted to consolidate the laws relating to energy, to provide for National and County Government functions in relation to energy, to provide for the establishment, powers and functions of the energy sector entities; promotion of renewable energy; exploration, recovery and commercial utilization of geothermal energy; regulation of midstream and downstream petroleum and coal activities; regulation, production, supply and use of electricity and other energy forms; and for connected purposes. The Act mandates the government to facilitate the provision of affordable energy services to all persons in Kenya. It also establishes national energy entities including the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation and the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency which are vital in enhancing energy access in Kenya.

The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority is mainly tasked with regulatory activities related to inter alia the generation, importation, exportation, distribution and supply of electric energy, petroleum and petroleum products, renewable energy and other forms of energy. The Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the rural electrification programme and promoting the use of renewable energy and technologies among other functions. The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency is tasked with inter alia implementation of the nuclear energy programme and promoting the development of nuclear electricity generation in Kenya. The Energy Act also mandates the government to promote the development and use of renewable energy technologies in Kenya including but not limited to biomass, biodiesel, bioethanol, charcoal, fuelwood, solar, wind, tidal waves, hydropower, biogas and municipal waste. This is a vital step in accelerating energy transition in Kenya.

Sessional Paper No. 4 on Energy seeks to promote equitable access to quality energy services at least cost while protecting the environment. It acknowledges that the development objectives of the country are only feasible if quality energy services are made available in a sustainable, cost effective and affordable manner to all sectors of the economy ranging from manufacturing, services, mining, and agriculture to households. The Sessional paper identifies several measures that are critical in accelerating energy transition in Kenya including the development and adoption of renewable sources of energy, enhancing rural electrification, research and development, regional trade and cooperation and fostering energy conservation and efficiency. Further, the National Energy Policy recognizes energy as a critical component for the socio-economic development of Kenya.

The policy seeks to achieve several objectives in the energy sector including improving access to affordable, competitive and reliable energy services, promoting energy efficiency and conservation and promoting diversification of energy supply sources in Kenya to ensure security of supply. It contains several proposals towards the use, development and conservation of energy sources in the country such as coal resources, renewable energy and electricity. The Policy also contains energy efficiency and conservation measures aimed at reducing energy consumption without sacrificing productivity or increasing costs. Actualizing this Policy is therefore vital in accelerating energy transition in Kenya. Kenya joined the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative in 2014 and developed its national SE4ALL Action Agenda and Investment Prospectus. The national SE4ALL Action Agenda specifies the country’s targets for achieving universal access to modern energy access services, doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvements, and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. Kenya’s SE4All seeks to achieve 100% universal access to modern energy services, increase the rate of energy efficiency and increase to 80% the share of renewable energy in Kenya’s energy mix, by 2030.

Energy transition in Kenya is also a pertinent concern under the Climate Change Act. The Act seeks to combat climate change in Kenya by enhancing national responses to climate change and promoting low carbon climate development. The Act encourages the government to put in place measures for the elimination of climate change including reduction of greenhouse emissions and use of renewable energy. The Act recognizes the role of energy in combating climate change and urges the state to enhance energy conservation, efficiency and use of renewable energy in industrial, commercial, transport, domestic and other uses. Accelerating energy transition is therefore vital in confronting climate change in Kenya.

*This article is an extract from published article “Accelerating Energy Transition in Kenya,” by Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD, Senior Advocate of Kenya, Chartered Arbitrator, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 (Nairobi Legal Awards), ADR Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (CIArb Kenya), African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, Africa ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration nominated by Republic of Kenya and Member of National Environment Tribunal (NET). Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a foremost Environmental Law and Natural Resources Lawyer and Scholar, Sustainable Development Advocate and Conflict Management Expert in Kenya. Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a Senior Lecturer of Environmental Law and Dispute resolution at the University of Nairobi School of Law and The Center for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP). He has published numerous books and articles on Environmental Law, Environmental Justice Conflict Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. Dr. Muigua is also a Chartered Arbitrator, an Accredited Mediator, the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates and Africa Trustee Emeritus of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2019-2023. Dr. Muigua is recognized among the top 5 leading lawyers and dispute resolution experts in Band 1 in Kenya by the Chambers Global Guide 2022 and was listed in the Inaugural THE LAWYER AFRICA Litigation Hall of Fame 2023 as one of the Top 50 Most Distinguished Litigation Lawyers in Kenya.

References

Muigua, K. “Accelerating Energy Transition in Kenya,” Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates Publications, September 2023, Available at: http://kmco.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Accelerating-Energy-Transition-in-Kenya.pdf (accessed on 28th September 2023).

News & Analysis

Disruption of Arbitration by Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

Published

9 hours ago

September 28, 2023

Admin

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic unsettled not only the global economy but also many professions and they are all seeking to stay afloat during the pandemic. Due to the preventive measures recommended by the World Health Organization which included social distancing among others, it became almost impossible for professionals to operate from their traditional physical offices. The legal profession was not spared either. The legal practice in many parts of the world including the African continent had been by way of physical attendance in courtrooms where the judges and magistrates, advocates and witnesses physically present their cases. The physical presence of employees in law firms also become difficult.

Court hearings shifted to being conducted virtually via online platforms. Arguably, this has disrupted dispute resolution systems in a way not experienced before. Apart from the effects of pandemic, the changes in the dispute resolution sector have also been largely attributed to the ascendancy of information technology, the globalization of economic activity, the blurring of differences between professions and sectors, and the increasing integration of knowledge. Technology has greatly impacted the way dispute resolution is done in many ways.

The shift to online hearings has not only affected litigation but also ADR practice and specifically arbitration, which had ordinarily operated like litigation though physical hearings. Notably, the world has experienced new business trends through electronic transactions, e-banking, e-commerce, crypto currency, artificial intelligence, financial technology and arguably, dispute resolution has also grown beyond physical meetings to Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), a branch of dispute resolution which uses technology to facilitate the resolution of disputes between parties through online-mediation, online-arbitration and online-negotiation, among others. In a variety of methods, the parties can use the internet and web-based technology. ODR can be completed wholly online, via email, videoconferencing, or both.

Covid-19 led to unprecedented advancement in the use of technology as a tool for enhancing accessing to justice for all. Many countries around the world were forced to rethink their approach to administration of justice both quickly and efficiently in order to ensure that, where possible, hearings can proceed. This led them to adopt virtual hearings – conducting hearings remotely in order to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and ensure the health of all parties in attendance is maintained. While the danger of the pandemic has passed, stakeholders of access to justice are rethinking physical hearings and increasingly thinking about investing in virtual hearings. For instance, in Kenya, it is commendable that the Judiciary recently embarked on enhancing the use of technology in judicial proceedings in all courts, especially during the COVID19 pandemic period, including the use of: (a) e-filing; (b) e-service of documents; (c) digital display devices; (d) real time transcript devices; (e) video and audio conferencing; (f) digital import devices; and (g) computers in the court.

With increased globalisation, ADR Practitioners are tapping technology from the comfort of their homes or offices regardless of the geographical location or distance to engage in dispute resolution. The result is that ADR practitioner are using technology to tap into the ever growing international alternative modes of Dispute Resolution such as international arbitration, mediation and Online Disputes Resolution (ODR) especially in the face of rapidly growing networking and borderless legal practice, with the introduction of diverse social media platforms that allow interconnectivity beyond the national boundaries and enabling cross-border relationships between clients and their lawyers and law firms amongst themselves.

Going into the future, technology will lead to tremendous growth of international trade, interstate deals, bilateral and multilateral treaties. In turn, dispute resolution will increasingly continue becoming global and smart ADR practitioners must therefore up their game with international best practices as with the advent of internet, telecommunication systems. As a matter of fact, ADR is no longer limited to one jurisdiction or regions as e-commerce increase the amount and size of cross-border transactions. Thus, as it has rightly been pointed out, ‘the COVID-19 pandemic may prove a catalyst for justice system players including ADR practitioners to fully embrace technology and reduce their reliance on in person hearings and hard copy documents, particularly for dispute management purposes, even after the pandemic. However, even this brings in its wake numerous privacy challenges and especially due to possibilities of leakage of documents due to cyber insecurities. But all the same, the ADR fraternity had better get ready for a future where Online Dispute resolution is the main thing.

*This article is an extract from the Book: Settling Disputes Through Arbitration in Kenya, 4^th Edition (Chapter Thirteen), Glenwood Publishers, Nairobi, 2022 by Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD, Senior Advocate of Kenya, Chartered Arbitrator, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 (Nairobi Legal Awards), ADR Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (CIArb Kenya), African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, Africa ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration nominated by Republic of Kenya and Member of National Environment Tribunal (NET). Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a foremost Environmental Law and Natural Resources Lawyer and Scholar, Sustainable Development Advocate and Conflict Management Expert in Kenya. Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a Senior Lecturer of Environmental Law and Dispute resolution at the University of Nairobi School of Law and The Center for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP). He has published numerous books and articles on Environmental Law, Environmental Justice Conflict Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. Dr. Muigua is also a Chartered Arbitrator, an Accredited Mediator, the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates and Africa Trustee Emeritus of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2019-2023. Dr. Muigua is recognized among the top 5 leading lawyers and dispute resolution experts in Band 1 in Kenya by the Chambers Global Guide 2022 and was listed in the Inaugural THE LAWYER AFRICA Litigation Hall of Fame 2023 as one of the Top 50 Most Distinguished Litigation Lawyers in Kenya.

References

Muigua, K., Settling Disputes Through Arbitration in Kenya, 4^th Edition, Glenwood Publishers, Nairobi, 2022, p. 335 to 340.

News & Analysis

Difference between Traditional ADR Versus Digital Disputes Resolution

Published

16 hours ago

September 28, 2023

Admin

A perusal through many of the African countries’ legal, policy and institutional frameworks on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice reveal that most of them are still focused on the traditional arbitral processes that are mainly physical in nature. However, with technological evolution, there has been emergence of new areas of commerce which naturally also come with related disputes. One such area is the digital commerce platforms. Consumer behavior and business models have changed dramatically as a result of digitalisation and technological disruption, which was expedited by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from pandemic impacts, the rise of information technology, globalization of economic activity, blurring of distinctions between professions and sectors, and increased integration of knowledge have all contributed to developments in the legal sector. Technology has greatly impacted the way law and legal experts are operating in this era as far as enhancing efficiency is concerned.

Further, the rise of platforms and apps with multiple integrated services ranging from transportation to finance and telemedicine has altered how services are consumed, with businesses increasingly relying on electronic transactions and digital solutions for everything from sourcing to invoicing and payments. Secure and smooth cross-border data transfers are critical for the digital economy’s growth and the protection of consumers’ interests. The traditional legal and institutional frameworks on arbitration cannot, arguably, respond to the related disputes as they currently are. There is thus need for African countries to respond to the digital and technological evolution by putting in place corresponding infrastructure to address the disputes that are bound to arise from the same.

ADR procedures have been linked to a number of benefits over litigation, including being quicker, cheaper, and less restrictive on procedural norms. In the twenty-first century, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) aims to develop a faster, more cost-effective, and more efficient approach than litigation, which is time-consuming and expensive. Foreign investors prefer mediation or arbitration over the national court system because they are concerned about the effectiveness of national courts in cross-border conflicts. In the context of cross-border commerce, dispute resolution through arbitration/ADR is not just a domestic but also an increasingly rising worldwide phenomena.

Contemporary ADR methods and procedures are thought to be more efficient and constructive than traditional schemes for managing conflicts and settling disputes because they help parties collaborate by reducing animosity and diminishing competitive incentives during the process, and in part, allows for a more satisfactory process through the conflict management expertise of professional negotiators and state-of-the-art in the field. The features of flexibility, cheap cost, absence of complex processes, collaborative issue solving, salvaging relationships, and familiarity with the general public are the core selling points of ADR methods.

Digital disruption has been felt across all modes: digital versions of products or services compete with physically embodied versions, and digital distribution/facilitation business models compete with conventional distribution business models. Technology has also crept into the realm of alternative dispute resolution thanks to advancements in the field. There is now online mediation, online arbitration, and even block chain arbitration, which employs the same block chain technology as cryptocurrencies. Alternative conflict resolution, sometimes known as “online dispute resolution,” is becoming more popular.

The United Kingdom’s Digital Dispute Resolution Rules provide for an automatic dispute resolution process which means a process associated with a digital asset that is intended to resolve a dispute between interested parties by the automatic selection of a person or panel or artificial intelligence agent whose vote or decision is implemented directly within the digital asset system (including by operating, modifying, cancelling, creating or transferring digital assets). It is, however, worth pointing out that these Rules have also created room for the traditional ADR mechanisms by providing that ‘any dispute between interested parties arising out of the relevant contract or digital asset that was not subject to an automatic dispute resolution process shall be submitted to arbitration in accordance with the current version of these rules at the time of submission; however, any expert issue shall be decided by an appointed expert acting as such rather than as an arbitrator’.

The emergence of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) as a supplement to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) might result in a meaningful paradigm shift in how conflicts are resolved outside of conventional court systems. It has been argued that the traditional court system is incapable of administering justice ‘on a large scale,’ and that ADR and ODR are more appropriate because they provide the architecture and tools to handle online disputes and can more proportionally handle functions that judicial authorities can no longer handle. International commercial disputes may quickly grow into huge trade disputes with significant political and economic ramifications, necessitating the greater use of extrajudicial dispute settlement rather than litigation in national courts. As a result of globalization, effective and dependable systems for resolving commercial and other general issues involving parties from several jurisdictions have become not only desirable but also essential.

*This article is an extract from the Article “The Evolving Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice: Investing in Digital Dispute Resolution in Kenya” by Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD, Senior Advocate of Kenya, Chartered Arbitrator, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 (Nairobi Legal Awards), ADR Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (CIArb Kenya), African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, Africa ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration nominated by Republic of Kenya and Member of National Environment Tribunal (NET). Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a foremost Environmental Law and Natural Resources Lawyer and Scholar, Sustainable Development Advocate and Conflict Management Expert in Kenya. Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a Senior Lecturer of Environmental Law and Dispute resolution at the University of Nairobi School of Law and The Center for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP). He has published numerous books and articles on Environmental Law, Environmental Justice Conflict Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. Dr. Muigua is also a Chartered Arbitrator, an Accredited Mediator, the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates and Africa Trustee Emeritus of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2019-2023. Dr. Muigua is recognized among the top 5 leading lawyers and dispute resolution experts in Band 1 in Kenya by the Chambers Global Guide 2022 and was listed in the Inaugural THE LAWYER AFRICA Litigation Hall of Fame 2023 as one of the Top 50 Most Distinguished Litigation Lawyers in Kenya.

References

Muigua, K., “The Evolving Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice: Investing in Digital Dispute Resolution in Kenya,” Available at: http://kmco.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-Evolving-Alternative-Dispute-Resolution-Practice-Investing-in-Digital-Dispute-Resolution-in-Kenya-Kariuki-Muigua.pdf (accessed 28^th September 2023).