Overview
International arbitration serves as the modern cornerstone for resolving complex, multi-jurisdictional commercial conflicts outside of traditional domestic court systems. In an increasingly interconnected global economy, cross-border transactions frequently involve diverse legal frameworks, cultural differences, and distinct regulatory environments, making conventional litigation unpredictable and structurally cumbersome.
By opting for specialized arbitral tribunals, multinational corporations, sovereign states, and international investors gain access to a neutral, highly confidential, and contractually binding forum designed to maintain business continuity and mitigate jurisdictional risks. This private adjudicative process ensures that disputes are decided by sector experts under universally recognized frameworks (such as the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, or the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration – NCIA), culminating in enforceable decisions that span global borders with minimal judicial interference.
- Award Enforcement: The strategic legal mechanism utilized to register, recognize, and aggressively execute valid domestic and foreign arbitral awards through the High Court of Kenya, turning favorable tribunal rulings into tangible financial or operational recovery.
- Commercial Arbitration: A private, contractually mandated dispute resolution process enabling domestic and regional business entities to bypass backlogged court systems and resolve commercial friction efficiently before an independent, expert tribunal.
- Investor-State Arbitration: Highly specialized international legal proceedings that empower foreign investors to bring direct claims against host governments for breaches of bilateral investment treaties (BITs), expropriation, or discriminatory regulatory practices.
Select Experience
Our team conducts and coordinates complex domestic and international arbitrations, and we are regularly instructed in disputes involving substantial commercial exposure.
With a reputation in specialised areas, we act for corporations in investor-state disputes, complex contractual disputes, expropriation claims, and intellectual property matters.
Deeply versed in the procedural rules of the world’s leading arbitral forums, including the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), International Chamber of Commerce, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and others, we guide clients through every phase — from filing to the recognition and enforcement of awards across jurisdictions.
- Representing a multinational corporation in a USD 78 million (KES 10 billion) domestic arbitration claim arising from alleged breach of contract and intellectual property misappropriation.
- Acting together with an international firm in a USD 100 million (KES 13 billion) plus investor-state dispute.
- Successfully preventing the referral of a USD 36 million (KES 4.6 billion) New York commercial dispute to arbitration in Kenya on behalf of three U.S. companies.
- Representing a multinational insurer in USD 3.9 million (KES 508 million) LCIA arbitration concerning commercial paper obligations.
- Acting for a corporation in enforcement of a USD 3.29 million (KES 425 million) arbitral award against the County Government of Kajiado.
Key Contact
