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Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD Ranked No. 4 Among the Top Arbitrators in Kenya 2022

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African Trustee of CIArb, African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, LSK ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 and CIArb (K) Lifetime Achievement Award Winner is the No. 4 Arbitrator in Kenya

The African Arbitrator of the Year 2022 Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD has been ranked as the 4th Top Arbitrator in Kenya after Prof. Githu Muigai SC, Justice (Rtd) Jonathan Havelock and Njeri Kariuki. Dr. Kariuki Muigua the rankings of the Top 5 Arbitrators in Kenya 2022 and Top 30 Arbitrators in Kenya by The Lawyer Africa which listed the leading Chartered Arbitrators in Kenya. The ranking of Dr. Kariuki Muigua as the Top 4 Arbitrator in Kenya is a major achievement given that there are currently over 1056 Arbitrators in Kenya. The recognition also validates the listing of Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD by Chambers and Partners in Band 1 among the most elite arbitrators in Kenya.

Dr. Kariuki Muigua, Phd, C.Arb is a Chartered Arbitrator and the African Trustee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the African Arbitrator of the Year 2022. He is an advocate of 33 years standing and the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates. He is also the author of the Leading Textbooks on ADR, Mediation and Arbitration including the seminal Settling Disputes Through Arbitration in Kenya, now in 4th Edition. Dr. Kariuki Muigua is ranked at Band 1 by Chambers & Partners among the leading Arbitrators in Kenya noting that “He has been involved in several ground-breaking arbitrations,” “has an astute understanding of arbitration” and “is respected for litigation.”

Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD has been 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 one of 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. The exploits of Dr. Kariuki Muigua have convinced The Lawyer Africa to call for his admission to the rank of Senior Counsel and promotion to the level of Professor of Environmental Law by the University of Nairobi. He is also 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 to be held on Friday, 17th June 2022 at Kigali, Rwanda, it was Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD 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.

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 2nd 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 4th 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 10th 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 8th 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.

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Why is THE LAWYER AFRICA Listing Top Law Firms and Top Lawyers?

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The Litigation Hall of Fame | Kenya in 2023 (The Most Distinguished 50 Litigation Lawyers in Kenya).

We live in the age of information overload where too much information (TMI) is increasingly making it difficult to find actionable legal data about a good law firm or lawyer. At the same time, legal services are increasingly going digital and finding your next lawyer is a now a matter of a few clicks. Many existing, new and potential clients are interested to know more about the lawyer handling or likely to handle their next case or transaction as every HR Manager seeks to know how their In-house Lawyer or next hire compares to peers.

The biggest dilemma especially for commercial consumers of legal services  is where to begin the journey in finding the law firm or the lawyer to meet their immediate legal need created by their new venture,  business, transaction or dispute. In-house counsel are also called upon to justify opting for one lawyer or law firm or over the other.  Hence, the rise in the popularity of international law directories rankings as an attempt to fill the yawning gap by listing a few dozen lawyers and law firms in esoteric categories that often don’t align with the legal needs of the domestic legal market.

But ranking two dozen elite lawyers or big law firms in a big jurisdiction like Kenya there are over 20,000 lawyers is merely a drop in the ocean. The result is the same candidates are listed year after year and an In-house Legal Team looking to infuse new blood in their external counsel panel is left very little discretion. At best, International legal ranking only succeed to tilt the scales in favour of few big firms and their lawyers and to aid the choice of International Legal buyers who are constrained for time in picking their External Counsel in jurisdictions where they cannot find referrals.

The questions that beg are: What about the other top law firms and lawyers who are equally good if not better but don’t have the time to fill the technical paperwork that comes with International Legal Directories rankings? What about Domestic Legal Buyers who simply want to justify why they prefer a lawyer or law firm not listed in the International Directory? Can increasing the number of listed lawyers or law firms from less 0.1% of the profession (as captured by International Law Directories) to at least 1% of the profession or higher for those specializing in the practice area help in enhancing access to justice in Africa? Can ranking law firms by number of fee earners help in the quest for a more accurate bird’s eye view of a country’s legal landscape?

At THE LAWYER AFRICA, we have set out to list Top Law Firms and Top Lawyers in the various practice areas in a way that democratizes law rankings and listings and brings this essential value add within reach of most lawyers and every law firms doing top legal work. We don’t promise to list all the top lawyers or law firms, but we commit to make sure every lawyer or law firm we list is at the top of the game in the listed practice area. We aim to help both little known and already known law firms and lawyers doing top legal work in their area of specialization get discovered by discerning clients and possibly get more opportunities to do great work.

THE LAWYER AFRICA is looking to list up to Top 200 Law Firms in every African Jurisdiction based on their reputation and number of fee earners headcount with a goal of listing at least Africa’s Top 1,000 Law Firms which are leaders in their respective countries. We also seek to list up to Top 1,000 Lawyers in every country in Africa in at least five main practice areas, namely, Litigation, Commercial Law, Property law, In-house and Private Sector or more.

THE LAWYER AFRICA categorizes law firms in large jurisdictions as Top 5, Top 10, Top 20, Top 50 and Top 100 (and allow tying where number of counsel is equal). The Top Lawyers are listed in three categories, namely, Hall of Fame (the Distinguished Top 50 or 75 Practitioners in a Practice Area), Top 100 (the Leading Top 100 Practitioners in a Practice Area) and Up-and-Coming (the promising Top 50 or 75 Practitioners in a Practice Area).  The placing of a listings depends on a number of key factors including the number of key matters or transactions handled, years in practice and experience, size of team working under a counsel, reputation and opinion of peers (where available) as established by THE LAWYER AFRICA.

THE LAWYER AFRICA prefers to list a counsel in only one listing, as far as possible. The Team tries (as far as possible) not to contact listed law firms or lawyers before the listing is finalized in the first. However, a listed law firm or lawyer may be contacted at the pre-launch stage of a list for purposes of selling merchandise relating to the launch but such engagement will not affect the listing. In case of future listings, it is expected that interested lawyers or law firms who feel they were previously left out of the list may to provide information for consideration to determine if they qualify for the next listing but that will not guarantee any listing.

THE LAWYER AFRICA undertakes not to charge for listing any lawyer or law firm. However, upon publication of a listing, as part of recovering the sunk costs we incur in the research and publication of the listings, we shall charge a token for printing and shipping of Quality A3 Certificate for listed Law Firms and/or A4 Certificate for listed Lawyers who wish to have or display the branded souvenirs or to use our proprietary digital materials in their business  branding. We may also charge listed and unlisted law firms and lawyers an affordable fee for limited banner advertising or publishing of enhanced profiles next to the listings.

For any question or feedback on any list or listing, feel free to contact THE LAWYER AFRICA PUBLISHER at info[at]thelawyer[dot]africa.

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The Roles of the Three Parts of the Permanent Court of Arbitration

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H.E. Amb. Marcin Czepelak, the Fourteenth Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

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Brief History of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

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By Dr. Kariuki Muigua, PhD, C.Arb, Current Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Representing the Republic of Kenya.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is a 124 Years Old Intergovernmental Organization currently with 122 contracting states. It was established at the turn of 20th Century during the first Hague Peace Conference held between 18th May and 29th July 1899. The conference was an initiative of then Russian Czar Nicholas II to discuss peace and disarmament and specifically with the object of “seeking the most effective means of ensuring to all peoples the benefits of a real and lasting peace, and, above all, of limiting the progressive development of existing armaments.” The culmination of the conference was the adoption of a Convention on the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, which dealt not only with arbitration but also with other methods of pacific settlement, such as good offices and mediation.

The aim of the conference was to “strengthen systems of international dispute resolution” especially international arbitration which in the last century had proven effective for the purpose with number of successful international arbitrations being concluded among Nations. The Alabama arbitration of 1871-1872 between the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) under the Treaty of Washington of 1871 culminating in the arbitral tribunal’s award that the UK pay the US compensation for breach of neutrality during American Civil War which it did had demonstrated the effectiveness of arbitration in settling of international disputes and piqued interest of many practitioners in it as a mode of dispute resolution during the latter years of the nineteenth century.

The Institut de Droit International adopted a code of procedure for arbitration in 1875 to answer the need for a general law of arbitration governing for countries and parties wishing to have recourse to international arbitration. The growth of arbitration as a mode of international dispute resolution formed the background of the 1899 conference and informed its most enduring achievement, namely, the establishment of the PCA as the first global mechanism for the settlement of disputes between states. Article 16 of the 1899 Convention recognized that “in questions of a legal nature, and especially in the interpretation or application of International Conventions” arbitration is the “most effective, and at the same time the most equitable, means of settling disputes which diplomacy has failed to settle.”

In turn, the 1899 Convention provided for the creation of permanent machinery to enable the setting up of arbitral tribunals as necessary and to facilitate their work under the auspices of the institution it named as the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). In particular, Article 20 of the 1899 Convention stated that “[w]ith the object of facilitating an immediate recourse to arbitration for international differences which it has not been possible to settle by diplomacy, the signatory Powers undertake to organize a Permanent Court of Arbitration, accessible at all times and operating, unless otherwise stipulated by the parties, in accordance with the rules of procedure inserted in the present Convention.” In effect, the Convention set up a permanent system of international arbitration and institutionalized the law and practice of arbitration in a definite and acceptable way.

As a result, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) was established in 1900 and began operating in 1902. The PCA as established consisted of a panel of jurists designated by each country acceding to the Convention with each country being entitled to designate up to four from among whom the members of each arbitral tribunal might be chosen. In addition, the Convention created a permanent Bureau, located in The Hague, with functions similar to those of a court registry or secretariat. The 1899 Convention also laid down a set of rules of procedure to govern the conduct of arbitrations under the PCA framework.

The second Hague Peace Conference in 1907 saw a revision of the 1899 Convention and improvement of the rules governing arbitral proceedings. Today, the PCA has developed into a modern, multi-faceted arbitral institution perfectly situated to meet the evolving dispute resolution needs of the international community. The Permanent Court of Arbitration has also diversified its service offering alongside those contemplated by the Conventions. For instance, today the International Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration serves as a registry in important international arbitrations. In 1993, the Permanent Court of Arbitration adopted new “Optional Rules for Arbitrating Disputes between Two Parties of Which Only One Is a State” and, in 2001, “Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Natural Resources and/or the Environment”.

Reference

PCA Website: https://pca-cpa.org/en/about/introduction/history/ (accessed on 25th May 2023).

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