Supreme Court Judge Isaac Lenaola Elected to Top Post at International Court in The Hague

Supreme Court Judge Isaac Lenaola has won a top seat at an international court in The Hague.

According to a press release dated Friday, February 27, 2026, issued by the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL), Justice Lenaola was elected President of the Court following a two-day Plenary that concluded on Friday, February 27, during which judges elected new officers to lead the institution.

“Judges of the Residual Special Court ended their two-day Plenary on Friday by electing new officers to lead the Court. Justice Isaack Lenaola, the immediate past Vice President, is now President,” read part of the press release.

Lenaola Elected President of Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone

During the elections, Justice Andrew Hatton was elected Vice President, while Justice Tonia Barnett was elected Staff Appeals Judge. Officers of the RSCSL serve two-year renewable terms.

Justice Lenaola is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya with over 30 years of experience in the legal field.

He has served as a Judge of the RSCSL since 2013. He joined Kenya’s Judicial Service in 2003 and has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court since 2016. Prior to his elevation to the apex court, he was the Presiding Judge of the Constitutional and Human Rights Division at the High Court in Milimani, Nairobi.

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He also served from 2011 to 2018 as a Judge and Deputy Principal Judge of the East African Court of Justice.

Justice Lenaola is an alumnus of the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1990. He also trained at the Kenya School of Law, where he completed the Advocates Training Programme.

He pursued his secondary education at Alliance High School, where he excelled in both O-Level and A-Level studies.

About Justice Hatton

Justice Hatton was appointed a Judge of the RSCSL in 2013. From 1987 to 2012, he practised law in the United Kingdom, including part-time judicial roles from 2004.

Between 2011 and 2012, he served as an International Criminal Judge in the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX). In 2012, he was appointed a Circuit Judge in the UK.

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Justice Barnett has been a Judge of the RSCSL since 2021. She has served in the Sierra Leone judiciary since 2017. From 2005 to 2017, she served as a Magistrate, including as a Senior Magistrate between 2011 and 2017. Since 2020, she has been a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

During the two-day Plenary, the judges were briefed by the RSCSL Registrar, the Prosecutor, and the Principal Defender.

They deliberated on several important issues, including proposed Rule amendments, the draft Stocktaking Report, and the Court’s funding.

The judges also considered the RSCSL’s 12th Annual Report, which covers the year 2025.

About the Court

The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone is responsible for carrying out the Special Court for Sierra Leone’s ongoing legal obligations, which concluded its mandate in December 2013.

These responsibilities include supervision of prison sentences, witness protection and support, maintenance and preservation of archives, and assistance to national prosecution authorities.

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Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone (RSCSL). PHOTO/RSCSL