Uhuru appoints head of Nairobi global arbitration union

President Uhuru Kenyatta at a past function. Photo/FILE  Nation Media Group

By GALGALLO FAYO

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed the head of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration Board, clearing the way for creation of an out of court commercial disputes resolution unit.

Arthur Igeria, a partner at corporate law firm Igeria and Irungu Advocates, has been appointed the first chair of the board for a three-year term.

His appointment sets the stage for the centre to hire staff including its president, deputy president, registrar to the arbitral court and 15 members who will act as judges.

The international arbitration centre will boost Nairobi’s bid to become a global financial services hub, a quest that has been bogged down by Kenya’s slow and expensive court processes often cited as a major shortcoming for the city’s attractiveness.

International firms that open shop in Kenya often sign clauses that provide for resolution of disputes in London or Mauritius, which have well established arbitration mechanisms. The arbitration unit is the product of a law that came into force in January and led to the establishment of a board in June.

“With the appointment of the chair of the board we can now meet and formally start performing our mandate which is to establish a centre with an international standard,” Lawyer John Ohaga told the Business Daily on Friday in a phone interview.

Mr Ohaga was appointed to the board in June together with KEPSA chief executive Carole Kariuki, Esther Kmyenje-Opiyo, Jimmy Munyanja, Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Patrick Kihara Njuguna, Allen Gichui and Collins Namachanja. 

Among the first duties of the directors is to appoint a registrar who will secretary to the board and in charge of running the centre.