By Paul Musyimi, Publisher & Editor, The Lawyer Africa & The Arbitrator Africa.

When we, THE LAWYER AFRICA, nominated Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD for the award of AFRICAN ARBITRATOR OF THE YEAR 2022 AWARD, it was out of conviction that he epitomizes the highest standard of excellence in arbitration in Africa. We feel vindicated to find that overwhelming majority of Dr. Muigua’s peers who voted for the Award Winner across the Africa continent shared in that high opinion of Dr. Kariuki Muigua. We celebrate Dr. Kariuki Muigua’s award of AFRICAN ARBITRATOR of the YEAR 2022 because it is well-deserved and will serve to inspire many Arbitrators and ADR Practitioners across the continent who look up to him to believe that they can rise to the top through hard work and discipline in ADR practice.

The resume of Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD as an ADR Practitioner is the envy of many of his peers and the aspiration of many upcoming practitioners. Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD is a Chartered Arbitrator since 2015, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 2012 and the Africa’s Trustee of the Chartered Arbitrators since 2019. He is Kenya’s foremost Arbitrator and ADR Practitioner as confirmed by the Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award accorded to him by CIArb (Kenya) in 2021 and being named the Law Society of Kenya (Nairobi) ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 at the Nairobi Legal Awards. Dr. Muigua is the author of Kenya’s leading Arbitration Law Textbook, Settling Disputes Through Arbitration in Kenya, now in its 4^th Edition, and one of the Founders and the Editor-in-Chief of the Official Journal of Arbitration in Kenya, the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Journal of the CIArb (Kenya Branch).

Dr. Muigua is ranked among the top 6 Arbitrators in Kenya (Band 1) by the prestigious Chambers & Partners in the year 2022. He has handled dozens of international and domestic arbitrations whose cumulative subject matter value is north of a quarter of a Billion US Dollars (over Ksh. 250 Billion) in the last decade alone.  He is an avid Arbitration Law and ADR Scholar, writer and researcher and has supervised numerous LL.M and PhD Thesis in the area in the last decade. He also teaches International Commercial Arbitration at the University of Nairobi and is a tutor and examiner of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

If any African Arbitrator deserved to be named the African Arbitrator of the Year 2022 at the 3rd African Arbitration Awards , it was Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD and we are glad he scooped this prestigious award for Kenya. Dr. Kariuki Muigua has earned his place at the top of ADR Practice in Africa and indeed the World for his efforts in advancing the practice of ADR and Arbitration in Africa as Africa’s Trustee of CIArb and also in his private capacity as a mentor to many across the continent. He is the patron of the Young Arbitrators Club of the University of Nairobi and supported the launch of the Award which bears his name to encourage upcoming arbitrators enhance their writing skills. He has been involved in every aspect of ADR and arbitration including practice and leaders and for that he deserves the recognition and to win the Africa Arbitration Awards.

Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD African Arbitrator of the Year 2022 Trophy

Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD: Twenty (20) Years of Excellence in Arbitration and ADR

In 2022, Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD commemorated 20 years as Arbitrator and ADR Practitioner. His journey in Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) started in 2002 when he took the Special member course leading to membership of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb). In the same year, he also became a member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) (2002). Three years later, in 2005, Dr. Kariuki Muigua graduated with Master of Laws (LL.M) from the University of Nairobi and his Thesis focused on resolving Natural Resource Conflicts through mediation.

In October 2010, Dr. Muigua completed Arbitration Module 4 Course leading to Fellowship to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). He also undertook the Certified Professional in Managing Workplace Conflict from the Mediation Training Institute (International). The following year, on 2^nd December 2011, he successfully defended his PhD Thesis titled “Resolving Environmental Conflicts in Kenya through Mediation” at the University of Nairobi.

In 2012, Dr. Muigua graduated with Diploma in Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). In same year, Dr. Muigua was elected Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya branch) where he served for the next 3 years up to 2015. His tenure as CIArb (Kenya Branch) Chair was pivotal as it marked the constitutional transition period which included efforts to spearhead the mainstreaming of ADR methods into the justice system as envisaged under Article 159 of the Constitution culminating in launch of the Court-Annexed Mediation Pilot in 2015.

In September 2012, Dr. Muigua served as a Consultant of Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution and IDLO in preparing a report on the “Framework for the Consolidation and Harmonization of National Policies, Strategies and Legislative Instruments Relating to Access to Justice in Kenya.” In August 2013, he was engaged as a Consultant by the Kenya Land Alliance in preparing a “Review and Analysis of its Draft ADR guide and Training Manual with a view to improve on its contents and structure to match the intended use of offering guidance in resolution of land disputes.”

In 2013, he authored and published the first editions of the two of the leading books on ADR in Kenya: Resolving Conflicts through Mediation in Kenya (2013) and Settling Disputes through Arbitration in Kenya. Settling Disputes through Arbitration is now in its 4^th Edition (published in February 2022) and Dr. Muigua has made it available free for download as part of Social Responsibility and mentorship to upcoming Arbitrators.

In 2013, Dr. Muigua also launched the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Journal, the official Journal of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya Branch) Journal, now in its 10^th Volume. He continues to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the acclaimed journal which was awarded the Africa’s Arbitration Publication of the Year 2020 at the Africa Arbitration Awards for its authoritative publishing of ADR research and scholarship from across Africa.

In January 2015, Dr. Muigua was conferred the rank of Chartered Arbitrator, the highest status of an Arbitrator. In the same year, he was also admitted as an Accredited Mediator by the Mediation Training Institute (International). In December 2015, Dr. Muigua was awarded the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Chairman’s medal with a citation for exemplary service in December, 2015. He also authored Alternative Dispute Resolution and Access to Justice in Kenya (2015). In 2015, Dr. Muigua was also engaged as a consultant by the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution in preparing a “Report for the Institutionalization of Traditional Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (TDRMs) and other Community Justice Systems.

In 2017, Dr. Muigua launched the Journal of Conflict Management and Sustainable Development, now in its 8^th Volume. The journal has in the last 5 years earned its place as the leading peer-reviewed and most cited and authoritative publications in the fields of Conflict Management and Sustainable Development. Dr. Kariuki Muigua still leads the editorial board of the Journal as the Publisher and Editor in Chief. In January 2018, he was engaged as a consultant by the Court of Justice of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA Court of Justice) in the Consultancy to Review and Revise COMESA Court of Justice Arbitration Rules (2003).

In 2019, he was voted unopposed as the CIArb Regional Trustee for Africa where he represents Africa at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Board of Trustees which is responsible for all the monies as well as the strategic direction of the Institute. In 2020, he was appointed by the Attorney General as a member of the National Steering Committee for Formulation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy, 2020 representing the Academia.

In 2021, he scooped the three top ADR Award in Kenya. The first award was the inaugural CIArb (Kenya) Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour ever awarded by the Institution. Dr. Muigua was also voted by his peers in the legal profession as the Law Society of Kenya ADR Practitioner of the Year Award. He also won the ADR Publisher of the Year Award by the CIArb (Kenya) for his numerous publications and research in ADR and arbitration.

Importantly, Dr. Kariuki Muigua has been consistently ranked among the top 10 arbitrators in Kenya for the last five (5) years in a row by the prestigious Chambers & Partners Lawyers Directory. In 2022, Dr. Kariuki Muigua was ranked among the Top 5 Arbitrators (Band 1) by the Chambers Global Guide which described him as having “an astute understanding of arbitration and mediation” and being at the forefront of ADR in Kenya.

Chambers and Partners describes Dr. Muigua as “a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and well known in this space” who is ‘a highly respected arbitrator and mediator, “publishes a lot of articles on alternative dispute resolution and arbitration” and “has been involved in several ground-breaking arbitrations.” It adds that Dr. Muigua is “respected for litigation that touches on commercial, constitutional and environmental law” and as a leading author who “has written a number of books on arbitration referred to by courts and judges.”

Clearly, Dr. Kariuki Muigua is a leading ADR Practitioner in Kenya and across Africa and deserves to be the African Arbitrator of the Year 2022 for his contribution in consistently and excellently practicing ADR as Arbitrator, Mediator, Scholar, Publisher, Leader and Consultant. Dr. Kariuki Muigua continues to volunteer and serve as the Tutor and Assessor at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators-Kenya. He is also a prolific writer and has published over hundred articles and papers on Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Dr. Muigua also serves in the Branch Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya). Previously, he served as a Member and Past Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Information Technology (IT) and Member of the Legal Committee of the Institute. He is a Member of Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC) International Panel of arbitrators and Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA) Panel of International Arbitrators, Panel of Domestic Arbitrators and Panel of Domestic Mediators.

Highlight of Dr. Kariuki Muigua Arbitration Experience

Dr. Kariuki Muigua has handled arbitrations whose subject matter value is over Ksh. 250 Billion (estimated USD. 200 Million) in the last decade alone. He has handled major international and domestic arbitrations in the areas of renewable energy, employment law, agriculture, natural resources and extractives, construction, shareholder agreements, ICT contracts and equipment, franchising and distributorship and property management. He has been appointed sole arbitrator, member of arbitral tribunal and chairperson of arbitral tribunal under the rules of the London Court of International Arbitration, ICC Arbitration Rules, Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA) Rules and Arbitration Act 1995 (as amended in 2009).

At the international level, Dr. Muigua has handled several high stakes International Arbitrations including acting as a Member of an Arbitral Tribunal a dispute on between an International Energy Company based in Europe and State Corporation of an African country for breach of contract for a regional power transmission tender whose subject matter was over USD 40 Million. He also acted as the sole arbitrator in a case in case involving two international companies which had entered a Joint Operating Agreement for extraction of natural resource where one party was a financier and the subject matter value was over USD. 100,000,000. The reference was conducted under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce and International Court of Arbitration and the ICC Arbitration Rules were applicable here as well as the laws of one of the West African countries. In addition, Dr. Muigua acted as a sole Arbitrator appointed by the London Court of International Arbitration in a claim of USD. 7,000,000 for termination of a contract where the rules of the London Court of International Arbitration were applicable.

Dr. Kariuki Muigua was also the sole arbitrator in a matter between an Export Company and a State Ministry involving a dispute on a tender for the supply and delivery of farm inputs. The claim was over USD 15,000,0000 and the arbitration was conducted in accordance with the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration Rules, 2015. Dr. Muigua also handled a dispute for a contract of over USD 6,000,000 involving an African State National Roads Corporation and an International Construction Contractor for construction of a major road and bridge. He acted as the Chair of the Dispute Adjudication Board which applied the procedural rules annexed to the FIDIC Conditions of Contract, Planned and Designed, 1999 Edition. He also acted as a Member of Tribunal appointed by the London Court of International Arbitration in a Claim affecting a multi-million sale and purchase of shares between two major energy companies in Africa.

In domestic arbitrations in Kenya, Dr. Kariuki Muigua acted as the Sole Arbitrator in a breach of Memorandum of Understanding claim involving subject matter value of Kshs. 1,700,000,000. Dr. Muigua also acted as Chair of a Tribunal in a Claim for the breach of contract in respect of the installation of equipment whose subject matter was over Kshs. 100,000,000. He also acted as Sole Arbitrator in a dispute over sale and distribution of the Respondent’s products within a designated territory where the subject matter was over Kshs. 50,000,000. Dr. Muigua was also the Sole Arbitrator in a claim by a contractor against a Constitutional Commission over a tender to erect and an office and a multipurpose block for Kshs. 45,000,000. He also arbitrated as in a dispute between a property management company and public company over contract to manage the apartments and market them whose subject matter value was approximately Kshs. 150,000,000 as a Sole Arbitrator.

Dr. Muigua also arbitrated in an estate management dispute where the subject matter was over Kshs. 26,000,000,000 as the sole arbitrator under Kenyan law. Dr. Muigua was also the sole arbitrator in an Islamic Banking finance dispute between a transporter and an Islamic bank involving Mudharaba and Murabaha Agreements where claim for special damages was around Kshs.140, 000,000. Other arbitrations handled by Dr. Kariuki Muigua as a sole arbitrator in recent days include a dispute between insurance broker and car dealers for general insurance services over subject matter value of Kshs. 120,000,000, a claim of Ksh. 20,000,000 for a transport contract between a truck company and a State Corporation for the transportation of sensitive products and a claim against a major transport company for the rental of ICT equipment whose subject matter was USD. 100,000.

Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD African Arbitrator of the Year 2022 Award Certificate