The ballooning legal pending bills that have burdened Nairobi County Government for years have finally been addressed, with fresh details emerging on how lawyers and law firms allegedly exaggerated legal fees to defraud the county.
In an exclusive interview with Nation , County Attorney Christine Ireri revealed that earlier reports claiming the county owed Sh21 billion in pending legal fees were deliberately orchestrated by former county officials.
Christine Ireri is the Nairobi County Attorney.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita
This comes after the completion of work by a 12-member committee formed by Governor Johnson Sakaja to review and verify the bills before any payments could be made.
According to the committee’s findings, of the 8,000 files in the county’s litigation registry, 1,562 involved outsourced lawyers representing the county in various matters, with claims amounting to Sh30 billion—money that would have been paid using taxpayers’ funds.
“The committee has come up with a verified figure, and the amount has been reduced to Sh7.3 billion. That is the figure we are reporting this year,” Ms Ireri said.
The task force, led by advocate Kamotho Waiganjo with Vice-Chairperson Sylvia Mueni Kassanga, found that the Sh21 billion figure previously cited was misleading and that the actual claims were far higher.
“We had a lot of exaggeration. For instance, you would find a Judicial Review (JR) matter billed at Sh40 million. It was simply not sustainable,” Ms Ireri explained.
She added that the county had reached out to lawyers who had expected multimillion-shilling payouts, informing them that their files had been audited and their fee notes slashed significantly.
“As we speak, we have saved the county about Sh23 billion. However, this figure may change because we still have ongoing and new cases in court,” Ms Ireri said.
Predictably, some lawyers and law firms have protested the development, but the county maintains it is prepared to defend its position in court.
“Eighty percent of the law firms have accepted the review, but 20 percent have not. For those, there is always the option of going to court for taxation,” she said.
The county is also engaging some firms in negotiations to secure waivers that could further cut pending bills.
Unlike in past regimes—where one individual in the county attorney’s office wielded monopoly over determining payouts—the current administration has streamlined legal services to ensure fees are scrutinised by a nine-member committee.
Upon assuming office in 2022, Governor Sakaja announced that no legal pending bills would be paid unless verified.
Nairobi City County Governor Johnson Sakaja when he appeared before the Senate’s County Public Investments Committee at Bunge Tower in Nairobi on July 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
To further cut costs, the county has increased reliance on in-house lawyers, while limiting outsourcing.
Ms Ireri said she has also ensured that all sectors comply with legal procedures to avoid unnecessary litigation.
“We are keen on ensuring compliance. For instance, out of all matters concluded in the last financial year, we won 79 percent. We have also trained Chief Officers on compliance to minimise exposure,” she noted.
Earlier this year, the county hired additional lawyers, who have been deployed across different sectors. The County Attorney’s office has also been restructured, with different departments now handling specific matters.
