- lesinko@lesinkonjoroge.com
Practice Areas:
Real Estate | Private Client wealth | Administration of Estates | Family Law
Memberships
- Law Society of Kenya
- East Africa Law Society
Edward Lesinko was admitted to the Kenyan Bar as an Advocate in 2006. He chambered in the Firm of Field Marsham & Co Advocates from 2004 to 2005 where he trained in diverse areas of legal practice before joining JN Pareno & Co upon admission to the Bar. He served in the latter Firm until October 2008 when he co-founded Lesinko Njoroge Advocates. He holds an LLB degree from the University of Nairobi.
Profile
Mr. Lesinko advises on a large spectrum of issues relating to real estate including acquisition and sale, leasing, sub-division, change of user, obtaining relative governmental approvals, environmental impact assessments, tax issues and so forth. He also advises clients on regulatory and compliance issues relating to the setting up of business entities, incorporation of companies, trust corporations and foundations, non-governmental organisations, co-operative societies, joint ventures, amongst others.
Experience
Offering legal and tax advisory to numerous clients on regulatory and compliance issues relating to setting up of trust corporations, foundations, companies and other wealth preservation vehicles
Advising Kenya Ecumenical Church Loan Fund (ECLOF) a large community-focused Micro-Finance Institution (MFI) on an ongoing basis, in syndicated borrowing transactions to raise capital for onward lending to its customers. The Firm advised, negotiated, prepared and reviewed extensive loan documentation involving multiple lenders (both local and foreign) in transactions valued at millions of US dollars;
Acted for project sponsors in negotiating and reviewing terms of project finance loan documentation for provision of senior and mezzanine debts to finance the costs of construction and operations of a 170-room hotel facility in Nairobi in a transaction involving two of Kenya’s largest Banks, in a deal valued at more than US$20 million;
Acting for Equity Bank, the largest Bank in East Africa Region by customer numbers and for Jamii Bora Bank, in retail and corporate lending segments where the Firm handles on an ongoing basis, transactional work related to due diligence, preparation, stamping, registration and perfection of bank securities involving both moveable and immovable properties.
Acting for African Wildlife Foundation in setting up conservancies, and drafting land leases to conserve wildlife migratory corridors in the Amboseli and Kilimanjaro Heartlands
Drafted and registered compensation trust for communities residing in the Amboseli Region to aid in minimising the losses incurred through human and wildlife conflicts
Acted for an undisclosed client with multiple projects running into millions of dollars, in a multi-layered dispute between the client and a financier. Our client was contesting the financier’s right to deduct without consulting the client, proceeds from sale of property and retention of several titles. Through our strategic counsel, the matter was resolved through compromise and negotiations resulting in the recording of a win-win, out-of-court settlement and more importantly preservation of the commercial relationship between the parties.
Representing the County Government of Kajiado in judicial review proceedings instituted at the High Court of Kenya by a hazardous waste management and handling company contesting the legality and lawfulness of notices requiring certain actions to be taken by it for purposes of safeguarding environmental integrity and standards under the Environment and Management Co-ordination Act;
Acting as the lead counsel before the High Court in prosecuting a first-of-its-kind litigation on behalf of several well-known artistes relating to infringement of copyrights in their musical compositions involving converting these works into digital formats and offering to public as 'caller ringback tones', without the authors' consent;
Lead counsel in representing a Tanzanian headquartered industrial conglomerate with large business operations in East, Central and Southern African regions in a series of property disputes brought by multiple parties in various fora in Kenya, namely, the High Court of Kenya, Environment and Land Court, the National Assembly of Kenya and the National Land Commission contesting ownership of a prime industrial property. The disputes revolved around determination of ownership rights and entitlement to receive compensation from the Government of Kenya arising from compulsory acquisition of a portion of property for construction of the Standard Gauge Railways. We managed to strike out a number of suits by asserting our client’s indefeasible title to the property and secured a favourable outcome for the client;
Acted for a party (name withheld for confidential reasons) in challenging an assessment of tax at the Tax Appeals Tribunal where the tax claimed was in excess of Kshs 200,000,000.00 including the interest and penalties. We assisted the client in negotiating and arriving at a mutually acceptable settlement resolving what was otherwise a fundamental threat and risk to the client’s commercial survival.
Advising a Pension Fund in Nairobi in acquisition of land where the Firm undertook due diligence, negotiated the terms of sale and dealt with the tax aspects arising from the purchase
Offered legal services in drafting of several by-laws for the County Government of Kajiado