Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has sharply criticized what has been described as the State’s KSh 39 billion legal fees scandal, alleging widespread fraud and collusion between county officials and private lawyers.
Reacting to a front-page exposé by The Nation, Ahmednasir dismissed the claims as outright theft, arguing that inflated legal fees have become a well-known scheme used to siphon public funds from county governments. He claimed that county officials and lawyers routinely exaggerate fee notes, with lawyers allegedly retaining a small portion while the bulk of the money is kicked back to corrupt officials.
“How does Nairobi rack up legal claims of KSh 21.3 billion, Kisumu KSh 970 million, Tana River KSh 498 million, Mandera KSh 447 million, or Kajiado KSh 441 million?” Ahmednasir posed, questioning the existence of legal cases capable of attracting such enormous fees.
He warned that the scandal disproportionately harms poor and marginalized counties, noting that hundreds of millions lost to questionable legal payments could have funded essential services such as water, healthcare, food security, and livestock restocking.
Ahmednasir also faulted the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), saying he does not support its position on the matter. He called on LSK President Faith Odhiambo to withdraw any support that could legitimize what he termed the theft of funds meant for vulnerable Kenyans.
“As lawyers, we should be eternally ashamed if we are stealing from the poorest members of our society,” he said, tagging senior advocates Tom Ojienda and Nelson Havi in his appeal for accountability.
The scandal has reignited debate on transparency, legal billing practices, and oversight of public funds at the county level.