A Kenyan lawyer and scholar has received a rare opportunity to sit on the globally renowned Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Board of Trustees.
As the CIArb Board of Trustees elections get into the penultimate stage following a round of global nominations, University of Nairobi Law lecturer Kariuki Muigua secured the Africa Board seat slot unopposed.
According to a communique from CIArb, Dr Muigua who is also a member of the National Environment Tribunal will be assuming office early next year having secured the African seat unopposed.
“With only the requisite number of nominations having been received for the Africa region, the following candidate is deemed to be elected as CIArb Trustee for the term beginning 1 January 2019,” the statement from CIArb said.
While welcoming the electoral outcome, Dr Muigua pledged to unreservedly work towards the advancement of Alternative Dispute Resolution programmes in Africa.
An Advocate of the High Court of Kenya of over 27 years standing and a partner practicing at Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates, a firm that specialises in environmental and commercial law litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Dr Muigua is an accomplished Mediator and a Chartered Arbitrator, with widespread training and experience in both international and domestic commercial arbitration and mediation.
He holds a PhD in law from the University of Nairobi. He has undertaken specialised courses specifically on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Audit (EA) which earned him the EIA/EA lead expert accreditation by the National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya (NEMA).
He is also a Lead Consultant and Expert at Pristine Consultants, an Environmental Law and Policy Consultancy drawing its clientele from Kenya and elsewhere around the world. It consults for high profile local and international clients on Environmental policy, Environmental dispute/conflicts resolutions, strategic environmental planning, Occupational Health and Safety management, Cleaner Production (CP), Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Audit.
On the academic front, Dr Muigua, teaches law at the School of Law, University of Nairobi and has also previously taught at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP).
Dr Muigua is the author of an Environmental Law book titled, Nurturing Our Environment for Sustainable Development, Glenwood Publishers, Nairobi – 2016). He has also co-authored a book titled, Natural Resources and Environmental Justice in Kenya, (Glenwood Publishers, Nairobi, 2015).
He has published many articles on Environmental Law and Natural Resources. As an Environmental Law Consultant, he has worked with both the government and private entities. Dr Muigua has also collaborated with various environmental advocacy groups in Kenya and regionally. He works with professionals affiliated to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) especially in the areas of Environmental Resources and their management through Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Mediation and Public Participation.
His research interests include environmental and natural resources law, governance, access to justice, human rights and constitutionalism, conflict resolution, the nexus between environmental law and human rights and governments’ policy with regard to environmental law and economics.
