Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi and two senior county officials are in soup.
They face arrest over a KES 20.8 million legal fees claimed by a Nairobi-based law firm, KTK Advocates, for services rendered a decade ago in a county boundary dispute.
The High Court issued warrants of arrest targeting the governor, the County Secretary and the Chief Officer for Finance after finding they had failed to comply with orders requiring settlement of the outstanding amount owed to the firm, which is associated with lawyer Donald Kipkorir.
The dispute arose from legal fees earned by the law firm for representing Baringo County Government in a 2015 constitutional petition over the Turkana-Baringo-West Pokot county boundary row and territorial integrity.
A court-appointed accounting exercise placed the outstanding balance at KES 11.3 million in April 2026, although the firm says the amount had risen to KES 20.8 million as at July 24, 2026.
Justice William Musyoka directed the Officer Commanding Station at Baringo Police Station to arrest the three officials and produce them before the High Court after they failed to obey an earlier order requiring payment within 30 days.
The warrants followed an application by KTK Advocates, which argued that the county officials had deliberately ignored court orders despite being aware of them and having been given sufficient time to comply.
The dispute dates back to KTK Advocates' representation of Baringo County Government in the High Court petition involving county boundaries, territorial claims, and human rights issues affecting regions shared between Turkana, Baringo and West Pokot counties.
The firm's advocate-client bill was assessed at KES 17.5 million in June 2017 after the parties failed to agree on legal fees.
The county unsuccessfully challenged the taxation before the High Court, prompting the law firm to obtain judgment for the costs together with interest at 14 percent a year until payment in full. When payment was not forthcoming, the court later issued an order in July 2018 compelling the county to settle the decree.
Years later, the parties returned to court with competing accounts on how much remained outstanding after several payments by the county.
KTK Advocates maintained substantial sums remained unpaid, while the county argued it had settled the decree.
The county told the court that it had already paid KES 22 million, including an alleged KES 4 million paid before taxation, and insisted it had settled the decree.
To resolve the dispute, Justice Musyoka ordered the Deputy Registrar to examine the accounts and determine the exact balance after reconciling all payments and accrued interest.
The Deputy Registrar found that the county had paid the principal amount but had not cleared the accrued interest.
The accounting exercise placed the outstanding balance at KES 11.3 million as at April 14, 2026. Justice Musyoka later adopted that report and ordered the county to pay the amount within 30 days.
KTK Advocates returned to court after the payment period expired, arguing that the county had ignored the order.
It also sought intervention of the Inspector-General of Police to enforce the warrants. In a letter to the IG dated July 23, 2026, the firm said the amount due had increased to KES 20.8 million because interest continued to accrue.
Justice Musyoka found the officials had not complied with the court's payment order and authorised their arrest.
The warrants require police to apprehend the governor, the County Secretary and the Chief Officer for Finance and present them before the court.
