Nairobi County ordered to pay top City Lawyer Sh264 Million

janet ndila

October 30, 2017 10:51 AM

The Lawyer had initially demanded a cumulative Sh1.84 billion

Nairobi County Government has been ordered to pay City lawyer Tom Ojienda a total of Sh264 Million as the legal fee from the cases he represented City Hall in 2014.

This comes after High Court Judge, George Odunga ruled in his favor in a series of cases filed against City Hall.

The amount was awarded in five separate suits City Hall had filed contesting the sums of money Prof Ojienda had demanded for legal work he did for the county government.

“In my view, the only way in which Nairobi County can avoid payment where there is a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction is to show that the judgment has been set aside on appeal or on review or that an order of stay has been issued suspending execution of the said judgment,” Justice Odunga said.

Judge Odunga added that the only way Nairobi County can avoid payment of the judgment is to show that the judgment has been set aside on appeal.

“The order staying execution must, however, be made in the matter in which the judgment was issued. To that extent Nairobi County’s application, brought as it is in a matter other than one in which the decree was issued, is in my view incompetent.”

Prof Ojienda had initially demanded a cumulative Sh1.84 billion in fees for representing the county government in five suits, one of which was filed by the current governor, Mike Sonko.

City Hall had challenged the amounts before the High Court’s taxing master, who whittled down the amount to Sh264 million.

janet ndila