Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has declared that the Nairobi County Government will not settle legal pending bills amounting to Sh10 billion.
Upon taking office, Sakaja discovered a significant backlog of pending bills in Nairobi, with liabilities totaling close to Sh100 billion, out of which Sh21 billion were legal fees owed to various lawyers.
“Some of these claims, which have been pending for years, are questionable, and paying them would jeopardize crucial services provided by the county,” he stated. “Sh21 billion exceeds our equitable share. It is twice our own-source revenue. Many of these claims are suspicious.”
Sakaja made these statements during his appearance before the Senate Public Accounts Committee.
He proposed the formation of a task force to examine the claims and determine their validity. However, a court sitting in Trans Nzoia prohibited the formation of such a committee to probe pending bills.
Sakaja suggested that in the future, county governments should hire internal lawyers and place them on a retainer to avoid similar situations.
Additionally, Sakaja disclosed that the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) left behind pending bills amounting to Sh16 billion. He emphasized the need to scrutinize NMS’s pending bills before any payments are made.
