The National Olympic Committee of Kenya has suffered a major setback in its attempt to resist payment of legal fees claimed by a Nairobi based Law Firm – Makori & Karimi Advocates, after the Deputy Registrar hearing the matter dismissed NOCK’s preliminary challenge to the Advocate–Client Bill of Costs filed by the law firm.
NOCK had asked the Court to strike out the Bill on the basis that no advocate–client relationship existed between itself and the firm.
In a Ruling delivered on 30th April 2026, the Deputy Registrar Hon. Silvia Motari found that, although the formal retainer agreement was not fully executed, the conduct of the parties and the evidence placed before the Court showed that an advocate–client relationship could be inferred, particularly after the NOCK elections held on 21st July 2025.
The Court noted that Makori & Karimi Advocates had been involved in legal work surrounding the NOCK elections, including matters connected to the New Dawn coalition, which later emerged victorious and transitioned into the leadership of NOCK. The Deputy Registrar held that, in the absence of contrary evidence from NOCK, the firm’s account of having dealt with the same officials under the New Dawn umbrella and later under NOCK was persuasive.
Importantly, the Court rejected NOCK’s attempt to avoid the taxation process by denying the existence of the advocate–client relationship.
The Ruling means that NOCK’s objection has failed, and the question of how much is payable to Makori & Karimi Advocates will now proceed to taxation.
The Bill of Costs is now set down for taxation on 16th July 2026.
The decision is a significant development in the ongoing dispute, where the law firm maintains that NOCK has refused to settle legal fees despite having benefitted from its legal services.
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