Renowned Kenyan legal scholar Prof. Makau Mutua has been invited to speak at the historic Oxford Union in the United Kingdom, placing him at the center of a global conversation on the right to resist and the politics of self-determination.
The invitation reflects growing recognition of homegrown intellectual voices shaping global debates on justice, sovereignty, and the future of international law.
In a formal invitation dated ahead of the Union’s upcoming term, the society’s president, Arwa Hanin Elrayess, asked Prof. Mutua to join a high-level panel titled 'The Right to Resist: Power, Law, and the Politics of Self-Determination.'
The Oxford Union’s term will run from April 26 to June 20, 2026, and if he accepts, the event will mark another milestone in his distinguished career and offer a global stage for perspectives rooted in Africa’s legal and political experience.
The event is expected to bring together leading thinkers to interrogate one of the most contested issues in international law and global politics.
Founded in 1823, the Oxford Union has long been a global platform for debate, hosting influential figures ranging from world leaders to activists.
Keep Reading
- Retired teacher finds new calling in empowering PWDs in Busia
- The Invisible Economy: Kenya's Care Policy to value women's unseen labour
- SHA: Patients' one-year pain, scandals and unpaid claims
- SHA whistleblower has not been fired, Authority says
According to the invitation, the society was founded by students pushing back against the University’s restrictive free speech policies, and has since evolved into a platform for examining “the most pressing questions of our time.
The upcoming panel will explore how international law responds when groups demand autonomy or independence but face resistance from states or geopolitical constraints.
“This panel will examine the principle of self-determination across a range of contested cases,” Elrayess wrote, adding that discussions will be grounded in frameworks such as the UN Charter, decolonisation doctrine, and the laws of armed conflict.
Central to the discussion will be difficult questions about legitimacy, resistance, and the use of force.
“Under what conditions have national movements turned to armed struggle, and what legal, political, and strategic consequences has that choice carried?” the invitation poses.
It further challenges participants to consider whether international recognition is rooted in legal principles or shaped by global power dynamics.
Prof. Mutua’s invitation underscores his standing as one of Africa’s most influential voices in legal scholarship.
A former dean of SUNY Buffalo Law School, he is widely known for his critical perspectives on the human rights movement and its relationship with power.
His work has consistently pushed for a re-examination of how international law engages with African realities and post-colonial statehood.