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Sakaja hires 60 lawyers in bid to reduce multi-billion legal bills

In 2022, legal pending bills stood at a staggering Sh21billion, prompting urgent reforms in how as Sakaja has been severely criticized for prioritising the payment of lawyers over other pending bills

City Hall has employed 35 lawyers as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on external legal services and reduce spending.

The team had a two-day induction with governor Johnson Sakaja who explained to them the burden of hefty legal bills accrued from outsourcing legal services by the city government.

The city governor said the county cannot continue outsourcing legal services as at the moment some law firms are owed over one billion pending bills.

“We have had cases where a single legal firm bills Nairobi County over Ksh 1 billion. As a government, we cannot continue down this path. Hiring our lawyers will not only save costs but also ensure that we have greater control over the quality of our legal work,” Sakaja said.

He added that the new team will play a major role in transforming the county and ensuring proper implementation of legal frameworks in line with his government.

“You are a crucial part of this administration, and we have high expectations for you to deliver on our manifesto. Even if you face resistance, remain steadfast, and let your conscience guide you,” Sakaja said.

County Attorney Christine Ireri reminded the new team to uphold integrity and be accountable.

“Accountability and integrity come first. You must uphold these values and not compromise the county’s interests. Always aim to protect the county’s interests in everything you do,” Ireri told the team.

Before this recruitment, Nairobi had 24 in-house lawyers. With the new additions, the legal team now stands at 84, enabling the county to better manage its legal affairs while reducing reliance on costly external firms.

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The lawyers will be stationed in various county departments, specialising in litigation, conveyancing, contracting, compliance, and legislative affairs, ensuring a streamlined and efficient legal process.

Last year, the county partnered with Law of Society of Kenya (LSK) to strengthen its legal Framework and streamline legal expenses.

In 2022, the county’s legal bills stood at a staggering Sh21 billion, prompting urgent reforms in how legal services are managed.

Sakaja has been severely criticized for prioritizing the payment of lawyers over other pending bills.

Between October 2022 and January last year, the Controller of Budget revealed that 44 law firms pocketed Sh1.3 billion from the county.

Documents by Nyakang’o indicated that most of the payments were for the law firms involved in Litigation at the executive wing of the county while only Sh29.1 million was used to pay for legal services at the assembly.

Sakaja had formed a committee led by the county attorney to audit the legal pending bills after the committee previously formed in 2022 was declared illegal by the court.

 

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