Nairobi County saves Ksh.8.4 billion by cutting reliance on external law firms

The Nairobi City County Government has saved an estimated KSh8.48 billion over the last two financial years after significantly reducing its dependence on external law firms and strengthening its in-house legal department, a report by the County Assembly's Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has revealed.

The report, covering the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years, says the county has increasingly entrusted legal representation to its internal advocates, a move that has substantially reduced legal costs while improving the management and coordination of court cases.

According to the committee, the county also managed to negotiate lower legal fees claimed by external law firms, further easing the financial burden associated with litigation.

During the review period, Nairobi County concluded 174 court cases, with 84 handled by the county's in-house legal team. Of those cases, 47 were decided in favour of the county, representing a 56 per cent success rate.

The committee attributed the savings to reforms aimed at building the capacity of the county's legal department, enabling it to undertake litigation that had previously been outsourced to private advocates at considerably higher costs.

The findings mark a significant shift for the county, which has in recent years faced scrutiny over soaring legal expenses and mounting pending bills owed to external law firms. Previous reports by the Auditor-General had flagged Nairobi as one of the county governments with substantial unpaid legal fee obligations, raising concerns over the sustainability of its legal expenditure.

The committee noted that the transition to a stronger in-house legal team has not only reduced costs but also improved oversight of court matters, positioning the county to better manage litigation while safeguarding public resources.

Governor Johnson Sakaja said the savings realised from reduced legal expenses will allow more public funds to be channelled towards essential service delivery and development projects.