{"id":594894,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/594894/?format=json","text_counter":163,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"My county is under investigation for paying a legal counsel Kshs9 million for a period of not less than eight months. That amount of money would have been enough to sink boreholes, pay school fees and many other things that residents of Makueni County are asking for but it went to a private lawyer. The problems that our counties are facing would be solved if we had a county attorney office in every county to solve and advise county governors; first, before they pass Bills and secondly, before they make some of the pronouncements that they have made. The County of Kiambu is an example. If there was a legal counsel sitting in Kiambu, the Finance Act that ended up being challenged in court would not have happened. This is so in many other counties. It is possible that the money that has disappeared through collections by counties, for example, Mombasa, Nairobi, and many others would not have disappeared if we had a county attorney office advising county governments. As a principle, this is one method that will strengthen the work of counties by ensuring that they have an equivalent of an Attorney-General at every county. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is also in line with what we think should be the application of justice where we have stated that every county should have a high court. It is the same principle that every county must have a legal counsel. It is the same principle that every county must have a legal counsel. I also support the principle where it is proposed in the Bill that the qualifications of that attorney be a person of five years’ experience, either as a judicial officer or a practising lawyer. Speaking for the young lawyers who have graduated or have less than five years of experience, these people are struggling to look for work to do and to survive. This is also an opportunity to provide good labour for our good legal counsel who are slightly above five years in experience in the Bar."}