The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), ICJ-Kenya and Dr. Thalia Gerzso from the University of York are calling for Kenyan lawyers to apply to attend a two-day, practitioner-led workshop on litigating electoral disputes to be held in Nairobi from 27-28 January 2027.
Overview of the workshop
African courts have become central to electoral contests, and Kenya’s courts have at times resisted political pressure and protected electoral integrity. As the quality of electoral petitions and evidence shapes the quality of the legal arguments courts have to work with, evidence-based research has shown how strategic litigation matters for how legal disputes are adjudicated. In the context of electoral disputes, strategic litigation needs specialised electoral-law expertise, which is hard to build because electoral disputes are episodic and even experienced practitioners get few chances to accumulate experience. In Kenya’s adversarial system, lawyers, not judges, drive the process: they prepare petitions, gather evidence and cross-examine. The workshop will provide the space for lawyers to share and discuss these issues prior to the 2027 Kenyan elections.
What the workshop will do
Day 1: Participants identify strengths and gaps in past electoral cycles, drawing on academic research, Thalia’s database of Kenyan electoral disputes since 1992 (outcomes and patterns), the ICJ’s experience in strategic litigation and trial monitoring, and their own practice.
Day 2: Using comparative evidence from across Africa to plan how those gaps can be closed before 2027.
The participants will decide what kind of output would be of assistance to the legal community (a manual of best practices or a toolkit, for example) and will propose how to set up a working group to produce it.
We seek participants to apply to attend this workshop: The workshop is aimed at Kenyan lawyers who litigate, or expect to litigate, electoral disputes and want to prepare for the 2027 election. We will select twenty-two lawyers working in Kenya and the selection will prioritise diversity in gender, expertise and seniority. The training will not cover travel and accommodation costs. Successful applicants will be informed by the end of November.
The workshop is funded by the British Institute in Eastern Africa Impact Grant and received ethical approval from the University of York.
Submit applications to: Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh (Kaajal.Keogh@icj.org) and Thalia Gerzso (thalia.gerzso@york.ac.uk)
Application deadline: October 23, 2026
