DNK International By Our investigation Reporter
Tension is simmering in Nakuru town after irritated members of Mukungugu Farmers Cooperative Society in Njoro threatened to storm the office of a Nakuru based lawyer, Karanja Mbugua, accusing him of allegedly refusing to release nearly Sh1 million awarded to them by the High Court in 2024.
The aggrieved farmers claim that despite a court judgment granting them the award, the advocate who operates from the third floor of Spike Building along Kenyatta Avenue has allegedly withheld the money and instead issued threats to members seeking clarification.
“We paid all the legal fees through the liquidator of the cooperative society. We have receipts issued by the lawyer himself. We paid him more than Sh600,000,” said one of the farmers, waving copies of receipts and correspondence in the air.
According to the members, the advocate was introduced to them by another lawyer, Mr. Ngure, who also practices in the same building.
The farmers say they engaged Mr. Mbugua to represent the cooperative society during its liquidation process and subsequent court proceedings.
Documents seen by this reporter include a copy of the High Court judgment delivered in 2024 confirming that an award was indeed granted in favour of the cooperative society.
Court records further corroborate that the award was issued.
The farmers allege that instead of releasing the funds, the lawyer has been demanding additional payments. “In fact, at one point we paid Sh20,000 as a fine after the lawyer failed to attend court,” another member claimed.
The group says they have already issued a formal demand letter through the society’s liquidator.
The letter was copied to the Advocates Complaints Commission under the Law Society of Kenya, the Director of Criminal Investigations in Nakuru, and the Commissioner for Cooperatives in Nairobi.
When contacted, the Nakuru DCIO confirmed that his office was aware of the matter.
“We are keenly monitoring the situation,” he said, declining to comment further.
An officer at the lawyer’s office, however, offered a different version, stating that the respondents in the matter had been paying in small instalments, suggesting the funds were not yet fully settled.
But the farmers insist they have met their obligations. They showed this reporter receipts issued by the lawyer as well as letters allegedly demanding further payments.
A court official familiar with the matter described the advocate as allegedly being “well known and very crafty indeed,” adding that lawyers are bound by the Advocates Act and the Advocates Remuneration Order when it comes to legal fees.
“There are lawyers who intimidate clients using complex legal jargon to scare them from asking for their rights. But the law is clear on how legal fees should be charged and accounted for,” the official said.
As tempers flare, the farmers warn that they are only waiting for the “appropriate time” to march to the lawyer’s office to demand their money.
The unfolding standoff now places authorities on alert amid fears that the dispute could escalate if not resolved through legal and regulatory channels.
[DNK-International@February 14,2026]
