Justice Isaac Lenaola, a Kenyan judge of the country’s Supreme Court with a long record in constitutional and international law, has taken the helm of one of the world’s remaining war crimes tribunals.
Judges of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone elected Justice Isaac Lenaola as the court’s new president, following a two-day plenary session that addressed leadership changes and institutional reforms. The announcement was made in an official statement released on Friday.
The court’s leadership change places the Kenyan Supreme Court judge at the forefront of an institution tasked with overseeing the remaining legal responsibilities stemming from Sierra Leone’s civil war. Justice Lenaola, who previously served as vice president of the court, will hold the presidency for a renewable two-year term.
“Justice Isaac Lenaola, the immediate past Vice President, is now President,” the court said in its statement.
The Residual Special Court carries forward the mandate of the original Special Court for Sierra Leone, which was established jointly by the United Nations and the government of Sierra Leone. The original court prosecuted senior leaders accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during the country’s 1991 to 2002 civil war.
While the Special Court formally closed in 2013, the residual mechanism continues to supervise prison sentences, protect witnesses, preserve judicial archives and assist national authorities in related prosecutions. The work remains central to ensuring that accountability measures linked to the conflict endure beyond the lifespan of the initial tribunal.
The election of Justice Isaac Lenaola comes at a time when the court continues to manage ongoing legal and administrative obligations, including oversight of sentences handed down for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Justice Lenaola has served on the Residual Special Court since 2013. In Kenya, he has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya since 2016, after previously heading the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of the High Court in Nairobi. His judicial career also includes service as a judge and deputy principal judge of the East African Court of Justice.
His elevation to president strengthens Kenya’s profile within international judicial institutions and reflects the growing presence of African jurists in global accountability mechanisms.
Alongside Justice Isaac Lenaola, the judges elected Justice Andrew Hatton as vice president and Justice Tonia Barnett as staff appeals judge. Hatton, appointed to the court in 2013, previously practised law in the United Kingdom and served in international criminal justice roles, including with the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo. Barnett joined the court in 2021 after years of judicial service in Sierra Leone, including time on the Court of Appeal.
During the plenary session, judges received briefings from the registrar, prosecutor and principal defender. Discussions covered amendments to procedural rules, funding considerations, a draft stocktaking report and the court’s 12th annual report detailing activities in 2025.
The civil war that gave rise to the original tribunal was marked by widespread violence, including killings, amputations and the recruitment of child soldiers. The residual court’s ongoing role is intended to ensure that legal obligations linked to those crimes remain active and enforceable.
With the presidency of Justice Isaac Lenaola now formalised, attention will turn to how the institution navigates its evolving mandate while safeguarding the legacy of one of Africa’s most significant post-conflict accountability processes.