Kenya is once again seeking to postpone the Indian Ocean maritime case with Somalia, in the latest attempt to have the matter brought before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The case has been postponed three times as a result of requests from Kenya much to Somalia’s disappointment, which has pushed for a faster hearing of the matter. The first opportunity was in September 2019 after Kenya changed defense teams.
In November of that year, Nairobi pleaded for more time to prepare the legal team, forcing the judge to postpone the case until June 2020. When the case came to the hearing, Nairobi again requested more time, citing the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
And once again, Kenya has submitted a formal application to postpone the maritime case, which raises a large number of fundamental questions. The case began in March 2021 and the judge had warned last year that the court may not postpone the hearing again.