
Nairobi County is engulfed in a financial storm after the Auditor-General revealed a staggering Ksh 6.3 billion legal liability owed to only four advocates.
This explosive disclosure comes at a time when public trust hinges on transparent governance and prudent use of taxpayer funds.The legal bill represents a massive 29 percent of Nairobi County’s total pending legal fees—part of an even larger Ksh 21.4 billion owed in unsettled liabilities.
The sheer magnitude of money owed to such a small group of lawyers has ignited widespread concern about the county’s legal affairs and cost controls.

Digging deeper, the Auditor-General flagged that many of these claims arise from employment disputes, canceled contracts, unpaid supplies, and flawed procurement and contract management—clear signs of systemic mismanagement at the heart of County Hall.
Worse still, Nairobi County is juggling 1,086 active legal cases, with only eight out of 350 prequalified lawyers handling the caseload. The criteria for assigning multiple cases to this small number of advocates remains unclear, raising red flags about fairness and oversight.
The implications are dire. The Auditor-General cautioned that if these legal liabilities crystallize, they could force the county into a crippling cash outlay—jeopardizing its ability to deliver basic services and meet future commitments.
As city residents watch anxiously, the county’s leadership now faces a crucial crossroads: Will they come clean and implement tighter governance to stem this financial hemorrhage—or double down on reckless spending that threatens Nairobi’s stability and reputation?