Mercy OKIRO, FCIARB

Mercy Okiro, FCIArb, brings over a decade of post-admission experience to her practice as an arbitrator, mediator, and construction adjudicator, having served as sole neutral in disputes across diverse industries. She is a member of the panels of several local and regional arbitral institutions and is currently Chairperson of the Board of the National Construction Authority of Kenya. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Kenya School of Law and Strathmore University.

Mercy has received multiple recognitions, including Young African Arbitration Practitioner of the Year (2019), and has been listed among Africa’s Most Promising Young Arbitrators (2020–2022) by the Association of Young Arbitrators. She was named Second Runner-Up, ADR Practitioner of the Year (2021) by the Law Society of Kenya, Nairobi Branch, and received the Jury’s Award for her contributions to ADR from CIArb Kenya in 2023.

An active leader in the arbitration community, Mercy serves on the Council of the Association of Young Arbitrators, the Advisory Board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration Young Arbitrators Network, and the Steering Committee of Equality for Representation in Arbitration (Africa). She is one of the current LCIA YIAG Representatives for Africa and has served on the Steering Committee of the IBA Arb40. She previously served as ICC YAAF Representative for Africa and MENA, a member of the CIArb London Young Members Group Steering Committee, and as Founding Chair of the CIArb Kenya Young Members Group. She has also been an Ambassador for the Alliance for Equality in Dispute Resolution, Arbitrator Intelligence, and Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers (REAL).
Her academic background includes a Master of Arts in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Laws in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration from Queen Mary University of London, and an Oxford Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration.