This will be conducted in English and according to Nairobi local time. 

Legal Plus is delighted to host the inaugural event in Africa this September!! 

The Africa: 1st International Arbitration & ADR Summit — Nairobi will take place on Thursday 18 September 2025 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upper Hill.  We will have a group of local and international speakers at the summit whom will be presenting on various topics in relations to international arbitration and corporate crime as well as share the upcoming trends and provide updates to assist businesses to avoid arbitration.  It will also be an excellent platform to mingle with fellow legal professionals in the region.  For more information, please refer to the flyer.  Download

Registration is now open.  We are offering complimentary pass to in-house legal professional (non law/consulting firm only) and discounted rate is available for law / consulting firms.  For more information, please refer to the registration below. 

If you are interested to sponsor or speak at the event, contact Jason at jason.sinclair@legalplus-asia.com for package details.  For registrations details, contact Bettina at legalpluseventsasia@legalplus-asia.com.

Program
The organiser reserves the right to change the program without prior notice.

• Welcome Address by Chairman
  Saad Hegazy, Trustee, Ciarb; Managing Partner, Resolve
• Welcome Address by Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA)
  
• Keynote Session
  David Brynmor Thomas KC, International Arbitrator & Mediator
• Investor State Dispute Settlement in International Construction Projects
  
• 1st Grand Panel: Art of Negotiation: Tactical Issues in Why Arbitration, Why Mediation and Why Not?
  Moderator: Leonora Riesenburg Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator, INTADR DMCC
  Panellist:
  • Samuel Mbiriri Nderitu, Founding Partner, Mbiriri Ngugi & Co
• Managing Cross-border Disputes in the Region
  
• Exploring Treaty Based Disputes Mechanisms in Africa: AfCFTA Protocol & OHADA Treaty & Its Effects
  
• 2nd Grand Panel: Enforcement & Invalidity of Awards:Understanding Arbitration Clauses & Monetising an Award — Geopolitical Risks & Regional Issues to Consider
  Moderator:  Victor Leginsky, Independent Arbitrator, Arbitralis
  Panellist:
  • Prof. Kenneth Wyne, Chairman, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya)
• Importance of Understanding African Cultural Dynamics in International Arbitration
  Sadaff Habib, Independent Arbitrator, Equanimity Arbitration
• 3rd Grand Panel: Construction Disputes in Africa: Expert Witness, Damages, Quantum & Supply Chain Issues
  Moderator: TBC
  Panellists:
  • Mercy Okiro, Chairman, National Construction Authority Board of Directors
  • Marcus Khoury, Head of Legal, Averda
• 4th Grand Panel: Energy Charter Treaty, ESG, LNG, Pricing and Compliance: Avoiding Inevitable Disputes and Understanding Changes of Circumstances
  Moderator: TBC
  Panellist:
  • Elodie Dulac, Partner, King & Spalding
• Use of Emergency Arbitration & Expedited Procedures in the Region: To Do or Not to Do?
  
• 5th Grand Panel: Corporate Fraud & Investigations in the Region: Tracing Assets & Digital Issues
  Moderator: TBC
  Panellists:
  • Freyda Owino, Senior Consultant, East Africa, Control Risks

Speakers

Saad Hegazy, Chairman

Trustee, Ciarb; Managing Partner, Resolve

Saad has more than 20 years’ experience. He is an arbitrator, CEDR accredited mediator, testified delay and quantum expert, member of the Academy of Experts and expert determinator, based in the Middle Est. He has lived and worked in the UAE, KSA and Qatar. His formal education includes a BSc in civil engineering, a MSc in strategic project management, and an LLM in construction law and international arbitration. He has gained a wealth of experience and knowledge having worked on airports, metros, infrastructures, industrials, oil & gas, water treatment, utilities, luxuries and high rise buildings. He has participated in over 30 Arbitration cases, as Counsel, Arbitrator and advisor. Saad has been instructed as party or tribunal appointed expert in arbitration proceedings under ICC, DIAC, QICCA, LCIA, and ADHOC rules as well as independent expert in litigation proceedings in matters involving large and complex projects with disputes values in excess of US$ 2bn. He is a testified and been cross examined in both English and Arabic. He is the Trustee of the Charted Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb) for the MENA region, the Pat President of the AACE Qatar Branch, and the previous ICC YAF MENA regional representative. Saad is a Fellow of the Charted Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), Expert Witness of the Royal Institution of Charted Surveyors (MRICS), CEDR accredited Mediator and Arbitrator listed at ICC, Ciarb, SCCA, DIAC, QICCA, BDAC, AAC, and W&W rosters with various arbitration appointments.

Biography

David Brynmor Thomas KC, Keynote Speaker

David Brynmor Thomas is King’s Counsel of England and Wales and now exclusively sits as a leading international commercial arbitrator and mediator. He is also an honorary professor of law in the School of International Arbitration at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London where he teaches International Construction Contracts and Arbitration. David has more than 30 years of experience in international arbitration in which he has been arbitrator or counsel in over 30 jurisdictions globally. David has been appointed in over 70 disputes as sole, party-appointed or presiding arbitrator in ad hoc and institutional commercial arbitrations. He is presently sitting in arbitrations in a range of seat arising from EPC contracts for infrastructure projects, Upstream Energy projects and general commercial and investment disputes.

Biography

Leonora Riesenburg, Moderator - 1st Grand Panel

Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator, INTADR DMCC

Leonora Riesenburg is an Independent Chartered Arbitrator and Accredited Mediator at INTADR DMCC, Dubai, and an International Tenant at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square in London. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), a Fellow of Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR), and stands as a leading figure in international arbitration, mediation and adr in Middle East, Asia, and the UK. Leonora specialises in complex disputes across key sectors, notably in investment, infrastructure, construction, real estate, joint ventures, banking and finance, and receives routine Chairmanship appointments. Her affiliations with prestigious arbitral institutions—among them the ICC, LCIA, SIAC, DIAC, ADCCAC, SCCA, MIAC, AIADR—further solidify her standing as a leading figure in international arbitration. Leonora’s leadership is reflected in her previous roles as Branch Chair of CIArb UAE, as an Elected Member of the Board of Management for CIArb London, and member of DIFC Courts Arbitration Division Working Group. She is a member of LCIA Arabs Users’ Council and a member of the Swiss Arbitration Association. Leonora is a highly in demand faculty member for the CIArb globally and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the MENA Region and in the UK, playing a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of dispute resolution practitioners. Her global influence extends through her service with leading institutions worldwide, including in Asia, the Governing Council of the Hyderabad Arbitration Centre (HAC) in India as well as the Global Advisory Panel for Musaliha International Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (MICADR) in Pakistan.

Biography

Victor Leginsky, Moderator - 2nd Grand Panel

Independent Arbitrator, Arbitralis

Victor P. Leginsky, Canadian citizen, is an experienced international arbitrator and mediator resident in the United Arab Emirates since 2007. Victor has earned the internationally-recognized designations of Chartered Arbitrator and Fellow from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is appointed to the CIArb Panel of Arbitrators. Victor is a CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, London) accredited mediator and mediation experience as Chair, Manufactured Home Park Dispute Resolution Committee (Attorney General of British Columbia, Canada, appointment) and in mediations. Victor is appointed to the panels or lists of arbitrators in a number of international centres and is a committee member of the International Court of Arbitration (ICC) Canada. He has instructed and assessed in respect of Mediation though the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the CIArb. He is the past Middle East Regional Director of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN). He is a member in good standing of the Law Society of British Columbia, Canada.

Biography

Sadaff Habib

Independent Arbitrator, Equanimity Arbitration

Sadaff Habib is an independent arbitrator. Born and raised in Kenya with Indian roots, she is qualified as an attorney in New York. Sadaff has extensive experience in international arbitration, including disputes involving construction, infrastructure, property, commercial, desalination plants, and solar power projects. Prior to going independent, Sadaff worked with international law firms such as Beale & Co and Fenwick Elliott. Sadaff is recognized as a Future Leader by Who’s Who Legal and is also ranked in Who’s Who Legal as a Global Elite Thought Leader. She also holds a ranking in the Legal 500 Middle East Construction, where she is acknowledged for building a reputable presence in international arbitration as an arbitrator.

Biography

Freyda Owino

Senior Consultant, East Africa, Control Risks

Freyda is a Senior Consultant at Control Risks, where she leads the firm’s Business Intelligence practice in East Africa. She specializes in asset tracing and complex investigations to support arbitration, litigation, and enforcement strategy across the continent. Freyda has worked extensively in opaque and fragmented information environments, unpacking layered ownership structures, identifying off-the-books assets, and tracing funds across borders in support of high-stakes commercial disputes. She brings a deep understanding of regional context, financial secrecy, and the realities of pursuing recovery in jurisdictions where formal records are limited or unreliable. With over eight years’ experience advising multinationals, legal teams, and investors, she combines legal insight with investigative rigor to help clients navigate reputational, financial, and political risk. Freyda is a Certified Fraud Examiner. She holds an LL.B from Strathmore University and is pursuing a Master’s in Corruption and Governance at the University of Sussex.

Biography

Elodie Dulac

Partner, King & Spalding

Elodie Dulac is a partner in King & Spalding’s Singapore office and a member of the firm’s International Arbitration group. She represents clients in commercial and investment arbitrations. Elodie has particular expertise in energy, mining, pharma, joint ventures/shareholder disputes and investor-State disputes as well as Asia-Africa disputes. In addition to her work as counsel, she has been appointed as arbitrator in over 30 arbitrations. Elodie is a founding member and member of the organising committee of the East Africa International Arbitration Conference. She is a Singapore representative on the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, and a Vice Chair of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Committee. She has been named as a leading lawyer for international arbitration in Chambers Asia Pacific 2025, Legal500 2025, and Lexology/ Who’s Who Legal 2025 (Global Leader and Thought Leader). Elodie is admitted to practice in England & Wales (Solicitor-Advocate) and Paris, France.

Biography

Samuel Mbiriri Nderitu

Founding Partner, Mbiriri Ngugi & Co

Nderitu is an advocate in the Kenyan Bar and a founding Partner of Mbiriri Ngugi & Co. He is a highly skilled Arbitrator, Mediator and commercial law practitioner with right of audience in the Astana International Financial Centre Court (AIFC Court) and International Arbitration Centre (IAC), Kazakhstan. In 2023, he was recognized by the Law Society of Kenya as the 1st Runner up ADR practitioner of the Year. Nderitu is quite active in the ADR space and was privileged to serve as the Chair of CIArb, Kenya Branch (2019-2021) and in the National Committee of International Chamber of Commerce, Kenya. He is currently a Member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) African Users’ Council, Board member of the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration (NCIA), Advisory Board member for ODR Africa Network and Musaliha International Center for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (MICADR), Pakistan. He is also accredited as a trainer and examiner of Arbitration and mediation. Nderitu is in the panel of Arbitrators and mediators at the Nairobi Centre for International Arbitration, CIArb Kenya and the China Maritime Arbitration Commission. His service extends to being a member of Law Society of Kenya CPD Committee and also Convenor of the ADR Committee.

Biography

Mercy Okiro

Chairman, National Construction Authority Board of Directors

Mercy Okiro brings over a decade of post-admission experience to her practice. She has served as the sole arbitrator, mediator, and construction adjudicator in disputes across various industries. Mercy is a member of the panels of neutrals for several local and regional institutions. In 2019, she was honoured as “The Young African Arbitration Practitioner of the Year 2019”; she was also listed as one of Africa’s Most Promising Young Arbitrators in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by the Association of Young Arbitrators. Additionally, she was named second runner-up as ADR Practitioner of the Year in 2021 by the Law Society of Kenya, Nairobi Branch. In 2023, she received the Jury’s Award for her contributions to ADR from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Kenya. She is the current Chairperson of the board of the National Construction Authority in Kenya and an adjunct faculty member of the Kenya School of Law and Strathmore University. Mercy is an active member of the arbitration community, sitting on the Council of the Association of Young Arbitrators and serving as an Advisory Board member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration (Young Arbitrators Network), as well as a Steering Committee Member of Equality for Representation in Arbitration, Africa. She was an ICC YAAF Representative for Africa and the MENA region, sat on the Steering Committee of the Young Members Group of CIArb London, and was the founding Chair of the Young Members Group of CIArb Kenya. She also served as an Ambassador for the Alliance for Equality in Dispute Resolution, Arbitrator Intelligence, and Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers (REAL). Mercy’s academic background includes a Master of Arts in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Laws degree in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration from Queen Mary University of London an Oxford Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration.

Biography

Prof. Kenneth Wyne

Chairman, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya)

Prof. Kenneth Wyne Mutuma is a distinguished legal and governance expert with over 23 years of professional experience. He holds a Doctorate and Master’s in Law, an LLB, and a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Nairobi. A Chartered Arbitrator (CIArb – London), he is also a Certified Professional Mediator, Fellow Certified Secretary, and Certified Governance Auditor. Prof. Wyne is the current Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya) and is an active member of several professional bodies including the Law Society of Kenya, the Architectural Association of Kenya, the East African Law Society, the Institute of Certified Secretaries (ICS), and the Mediation Accreditation Committee. He is accredited by international arbitration panels such as the NCIA, LCIA, AFSA, KIAC, LIAC, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. An accomplished academic, Prof. Wyne was named Law Teacher of the Year in 2024. He has published widely in International Law, ADR, and corporate governance, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Eastern Africa Journal on International Humanitarian Law and the Corporate Governance Journal (ICS), and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the ADR Journal.

Biography

Marcus Khoury

Head of Legal, Averda

Marcus Antoine Khoury is Head of Legal at Averda. Marcus has been working as an inhouse legal counsel in the construction industry in the GCC, in particular in Saudi Arabia and in the UAE, for the past 20 years. He is both German and Lebanese and has graduated at the Sorbonne in Paris and the Universities of Cologne and Munich. In his spare time Marcus loves to hike and considers having walked more than 1000 km to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela as one of his greatest experiences.

Biography

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Supporting Organisations

Registration Details

Complimentary Registration for in-house counsel

Complimentary Registration - Click Here

If you would like to apply for an in-house counsel complimentary ticket, please click here and fill in your details. Complimentary seat is applicable to in-house counsel from non law / consultancy firm only.  Two complimentary seats per company, first-come-first-served. Results are based on the organiser’s discretion and applicants will be notified by email.