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{
    "id": 594892,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/594892/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 161,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13156,
        "legal_name": "Mutula Kilonzo Jnr",
        "slug": "mutula-kilonzo-jnr"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you, for the opportunity. I rise to support the Office of the County-Attorney Bill, (Senate Bill No. 37 of 2014). The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, through Sen. Wako, has conducted public hearings on this Bill. It has been received with a lot of enthusiasm at the governors’ level, the county assembly level and other organs of the county. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in drafting the County Governments Act, there appears to have been a lacuna in Section 43 which suggests that the counties can seek the assistance of the Attorney- General when they require legal services. The only problem with Section 43 is that it is discretionary. Therefore, the county governments have taken advantage, obviously not in the right way, in hiring private legal counsels. I am not ashamed to say that there is a battery of lawyers who are making a killing out of county governments. It is also in the public domain - and is being investigated by the Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee - that all counties have or are contributing Kshs18 million to a kitty of the Council of Governors ostensibly to hire lawyers who would defend these counties. That turns out to be a lot of billions of shillings which counties, in my view, have been exploited in order to get legal representation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is the answer to the plunder of resources for hiring lawyers when they do not need to do so. We are aware that the only county in this Republic that has a Bill on Legal Counsel is Bomet County. As a result, it has managed to save a lot of legal resources by hiring external lawyers. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}