Top 10 Richest Lawyers in Kenya And Their Net Worth

January 4, 2022 Majira Media

Law in Kenya is a highly admired profession that comes with many rewards. Some Kenyans who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Law earlier are now sitting pretty amongst the wealthiest Kenyans. They have successfully represented high-profile clients such as government officials, companies, parastatals, and the government in court. These lucrative deals have put them at par with the wealthiest Kenyans. We have, in this article, prepared a list of the top 10 richest lawyers in Kenya with their net worth.

As much as all lawyers play a similar role in representing clients in court, their specialities may hugely determine how much they earn. First, it is essential to note that there are different specialities within the law profession. An Intellectual Property Attorney, for instance, does not earn the same as a Corporate Lawyer. Some of the highest paying specialities are as shown below:

Medical lawyers
Tax Attorneys
Intellectual Property Attorneys
Corporate Lawyers
Trial Attorneys

List of Top 10 Richest Lawyers in Kenya and their Net Worth

1. Fred Ngatia

Born in 1956, Fred Ngatia is currently one of the richest and the most outspoken lawyers in Kenya. The Senior Council got his degree in law at the University of Nairobi and then attended the Kenya School of Law for his higher certification. He was in 1980 admitted to the bar and currently has a total of two master’s degrees and experience of over 40 years in the profession.

Fred Ngatia has a career decorated with successful court representation of high-profile clients. One of such notable cases was when he successfully defended the late Internal Security Minister, Professor George Saitoti, against the Goldenberg Scandal that he was accused of being involved in.

His high popularity in Kenya is due to his regular appearance in the Supreme Court whenever there are cases of national interest. For example, he represented President Uhuru Kenyatta in the Supreme Court during the Presidential election petition in 2013 and 2017.

2. Jane Wanjiru Michuki

Jane Wanjiru Michuki is on the list of the top 10 richest lawyers in Kenya and among Kenya’s wealthiest women. Apart from being a lawyer, she is a businesswoman and investor. She first graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Law from the University of Nairobi before joining the Kenya School of Law for her post-graduate diploma. She later joined Warwick University in the United Kingdom for her master’s degree.

Jane Wanjiru’s areas of practice in the legal field are perfecting securities, contract negotiations, and financial negotiations. She works as a Managing Partner at her law firm in Nairobi called Kimani & Michuki Advocates. They have high-profile clients in big corporates like Equity Group Holdings Limited, in which she is also a stakeholder.

On her business and investment side, she has invested in several large companies. She is also the leading female investor at the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

3. James Orengo

James Orengo is a Senior Counsel, businessman, and politician born in 1951 in Ugenya, Siaya County. He completed form six in Alliance High School in 1970 and joined the University of Nairobi to pursue Law in 1971. His leadership began when he was elected as the president at the university in 1973. He then graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Law LL.B and then proceeded to Kenya school of law, where he graduated and was admitted to the bar as a high court advocate.

James Orengo, who is currently the Senator for Siaya County, has for a long time been one of the most outstanding lawyers in Kenya. His brilliance in law has earned him a nickname, “The walking Constitution” from Kenyans. He has appeared at the Supreme Court on several occasions handling high-profile cases like the presidential elections petition after the 2017 presidential election exercise when he represented the former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.

He has represented many clients through his law firm, JAB Orengo advocate. He is also a businessman who owns shares in some major companies in Kenya. This makes him one of the richest Lawyers in Kenya.

4. Cliff Ombeta

Cliff Ombeta is one of the richest lawyers in Kenya who practices criminal law. In an interview with the standard newspaper some years ago, he revealed that he often got in trouble in high school and was expelled from different schools for refusing to be punished by arguing his case. He says that his interest in criminal law started in high school when he read a book entitled “Rage of the Angels” by Sidney Sheldon.

Cliff Ombeta has been in court representing accused criminals. An example is a case where he defended Migori Governor, Okoth Obado who was charged with the murder of a university student, Sharon Otieno. He has often received a fair share of criticism for defending criminals, but he says that he represents people he believes are innocent.

The outspoken lawyer is a fashion and car lover. He loves suits so much that he spends as much as Khs.500,000 for a pair. His lowest budget for a pair of suits is Ksh. 170,000. He also owns several high-end cars, including an SLK 200 convertible Benz, an S-class 320 Benz, an E330 Mercedes, and an E320 Mercedes.

5. Professor Githu Muigai

Githu Muigai is a veteran Kenyan lawyer who was born in 1960 in Kiambu county. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Nairobi before joining the Kenya School of Law for his post-graduate diploma. He then proceeded to join the Colombia University Law school in New York for his Master’s degree in international law.

Apart from being appointed as Kenya’s Attorney General by the former president, Mwai Kibaki, he has had the privilege of working for the United Nations as a special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, xenophobia, and other similar intolerances. He also worked as a judge in the African Court of Justice from 2008.

Professor Githu Muigai’s areas of expertise are Corporate finance, Public Procurement Law, and Civil and Commercial Litigation. He has a Law Firm in Nairobi called Mohammed Muigai LLP, from where he runs his legal business. Additionally, he is an associate professor at the University of Nairobi.

Lawyer Githu Mwigai — Professor Githu Mwigai

6. Ahmednasir Abdullahi

Ahmednasir Abdullahi, famously referred to as “Grand Mullah” by Kenyans, is one of Kenya’s richest lawyers. He attended Mandera Primary School and Nairobi school for his primary and secondary education respectively. He graduated with a degree in law from the University of Nairobi in 1990. Two years later, he graduated from Cornell University with a Master’s degree in law.

The outspoken senior counsel is not afraid to air out his sentiments on matters to do with politics, law, and leadership. He has on many occasions appeared on TV programmes for debates with other lawyers and politicians on such matters. He can also be found engaging in serious arguments with other lawyers on Twitter.

Ahmednasir Abdullahi is a wealthy lawyer. He at one time took the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) to court for damages caused on his car’s windscreen by a stone on an uncompleted road section while he was driving. The vehicle in question was a luxurious SUV, Bentley Bentayga, which costs not less than Ksh.40 million. He won the case and was compensated with Ksh.750,000 for the damages. That alone can give a glimpse on his wealth and the type of lifestyle he lives.

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7. George Oraro

George Oraro, who has also earned himself the Senior Counsel status, is a laid-back lawyer. Unlike other outspoken lawyers like Ahmednarir Abdullahi, he is not often seen publicly giving sentiments or political opinions despite having experience of over 35 years.

The lawyer first came to the limelight when he successfully represented former MP for Tinderet Constituency Henry Kosgey at the International Criminal Court. In 2013, he was yet on another high-profile case where he represented the defunct Cord coalition during the presidential elections petition at the supreme court.

Those and many other court cases have propelled George Oraro into one of the richest lawyers in Kenya. To add on to that, Lithuania appointed him in 2015 as their first consul for East Africa. He is also the co-founder of Oraro & Co Law Firm.

8. Donald Kipkorir

Donald Kipkorir is a Kenyan lawyer born 53 years ago (as of 2021) in Cheptongei, Elgeyo Marakwet county. He once narrated on his social media pages how he grew up in a poverty-stricken family where his mother and grandmother got his school fees from the sale of illicit brew.

Nevertheless, he completed his O-levels and managed to secure himself a place at the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law. He then joined the Kenya School of law for his post-graduate diploma.

Today, Donald Kipkorir is one of the richest lawyers in Kenya. He seems to be making up for his poor past. He enjoys his hard-earned wealth and is not afraid to flaunt his assets, including his high-end vehicles, on social media. His Karen home is worth Ksh.60 million. He also owns a holiday home in Nanyuki worth Ksh.24 million.

9. Paul Muite

Paul Muite is a veteran lawyer and politician who was born in 1945. He went to Kanyariri primary school for his primary education and Thika High School for his secondary education. He later joined the University of London, where he graduated with a degree in law, and the Kenya School of Law for Post-graduate diploma.

The Senior Counsel, who is also an activist, was instrumental during Kenya’s second liberation against the single-party rule in the 1990s. He has also served as a member of parliament for Kabete constituency. He took the giant leap to vie for president in 2013 but was unfortunately not elected.

Paul Muite is an experienced lawyer who has appeared in many court cases representing high-profile clients. For this reason, he is among the highest-paid and richest lawyers in Kenya. Apart from the money he earns as a lawyer, he is also a businessman and investor.

10. Katwa Kigen

Katwa Kigen is one of the most prominent lawyers in Kenya. He was admitted to the bar as an advocate of the high court after completing his studies as a lawyer at the University of Nairobi and the Kenya School of law in 1996. After that, he worked for several law firms before he founded Kigen and Kemboi Advocates.

Katwa Kigen’s prominence shot when he represented Kass FM’s Radio Presenter, Joshua Arap Sang, at the International Criminal Court. He has also appeared in several other cases representing prominent people, such as former NTV journalist Jaque Maribe. From these cases and more, he has made a name for himself and is now one of the most sought-after lawyers in Kenya.