The Nairobi County Assembly has launched a fresh probe into a Sh10.7 billion legal fees scandal, raising questions about the management of public funds at City Hall. The investigation, led by the County Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), seeks to establish how such a vast amount was paid to law firms over the years without clear documentation or proper verification of services rendered.
According to assembly insiders, preliminary findings reveal that several legal firms were paid millions of shillings for representing the county in various court cases, some of which cannot be traced or verified. Lawmakers argue that the payments appear inflated and may have been used to siphon public funds through fictitious claims. The committee has summoned senior county officials, including the County Secretary, Chief Finance Officer, and Head of Legal Services, to explain the irregular payments and provide supporting documents for each transaction.
This is not the first time City Hall has been embroiled in questions over legal payments. Audits dating back to previous administrations have repeatedly flagged concerns about unbudgeted legal costs and law firms handpicked without competitive bidding. The latest probe comes amid wider scrutiny of Nairobi’s financial operations, including unpaid land rates, stalled development projects, and billions in pending bills that continue to burden county finances. Some MCAs have linked the legal fee controversy to entrenched cartels that have long benefited from opaque procurement and weak oversight structures.
The ongoing investigation has sparked public outrage, with Nairobi residents and governance activists calling for accountability and potential prosecutions. This is money that could have gone into improving roads, waste collection, or bursaries for needy students, said one civic activist. The County Assembly has pledged to forward its findings to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) once the probe concludes. If evidence of fraud is found, officials and firms involved could face criminal charges. The outcome of this inquiry is expected to set a critical precedent for financial accountability in county governments ahead of the 2027 general elections.