Drama in Machakos County Law Office Revealed

In what can only be described as a bureaucratic soap opera, former Machakos County Attorney James Kathili served a drama-soaked six-page letter at exactly 4:36 PM on November 13, 2024 to the County Solicitor.

A masterpiece of finger-pointing and indignation, the letter wasn’t just an accusation for insubordination—it was a theatrical exit.

Kathili’s letter kicked off with a lofty lecture on law and hierarchies, dusting off legislative books to remind the County Solicitor, Ms. Juliet Nthambi, of her position in the food chain. It was less of a gentle nudge and more of a legal smackdown: “Principal Assistant means assistant, okay?”

Kathili didn’t stop there. He pulled out a dictionary to define “insubordination” and hammered home his grievances, accusing the Solicitor of everything from public humiliation to using “disrespectful language” (a.k.a. she hurt his feelings).

Oh, and just to add a splash of legal spice: By this time, The Anchor confirmed Nthambi hadn’t held a valid practicing certificate since 2017. So technically, she wasn’t even supposed to be in court handling litigation. Talk about awkward.

Blame, Bluster, and a Timeline of Chaos

Kathili laid out seven juicy incidents, a play-by-play of their escalating feud. February 25, 2024: Nthambi ignored a letter about tax bills from BM Mungata Advocates (a firm run by a former assembly Speaker—small world, huh?). Forget about conflict of interest here!

March 18, 2024: Another letter, another cold shoulder. This time, Kathili claims Nthambi refused to verify legal fees for external advocates, then aired their dirty laundry at the Senate, accusing him of inflating bills.

The pièce de résistance? Kathili alleged that Nthambi declared herself untouchable—cue dramatic music—and ended his letter with a mic-drop moment: “I may not be able to touch you, but in this country, we have the rule of law.”

Enter the Solicitor

Not one to back down, Nthambi fired back, telling The Anchor, painting a picture of a chaotic department run aground by Kathili himself. Her response? A scathing counter-narrative:
“Pending legal bills of KES 1.7 billion? That was already there when I arrived. If the Attorney can’t answer a show-cause letter, blaming me isn’t going to save him. EACC is on the case now. I want to leave it at that”

The Kes. 1.7 Billion Question

But let’s not lose sight of the elephant in the room—or should we say, the bill in the courtroom. A Kes. 1.7 billion legal fees tab is a head-scratcher. Who’s footing this bill? How did it balloon to such heights? And most importantly, who’s next in line to pick up the pieces?

The Aftermath

Kathili’s subsequent resignation may have been a try to close the curtain on this chapter, but the plot has only thickened. With an EACC investigation looming and a legal department in shambles, it’s clear this bureaucratic drama is far from over.

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