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{
    "id": 803493,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/803493/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 380,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "enactment of this Bill will ensure that we come up with uniform legislation that will cut across all 47 counties and provide the necessary legal framework going forward. Madam Temporary Speaker, there has been a lacuna in the legal representation of the county executive. We have agreed that these people will ensure that they give the necessary legal advice to the county executive and county assemblies. When we met at the Third Legislative Conference in Mombasa, we agreed that there are many weaknesses in terms of legislative framework within our counties governments and county assemblies. Therefore, it is high time that we ensure that we strengthen and give our county assemblies capacity. Another challenge has been the quality of the legislation that we pass across our county assemblies. Going forward, this will ensure that we improve on the quality of the legislation that we pass in our legislative assemblies. We want to ensure that we do not leave a gap where county governments or county assemblies have an opportunity of hiring or outsourcing some of these legal services. I know sometimes it is important that some of these legal services are outsourced. Some of those legal services that are outsourced can be handled by the County Attorney, County Solicitor and the County Legal Advisor. Therefore, in the interest of ensuring prudent use of money, we need to create offices that will ensure that before our county offices outsource some of these services, especially legal services, they must demonstrate or have a serious issue as to why they want to outsource legal services. We have even gone ahead to give the powers to the County Public Service Board (CPSB) so that we create a necessary legal unit. Madam Temporary Speaker, you are one of the longest serving legal practitioners in this country and, therefore, you appreciate that we need a legal unit within county governments and county assemblies. We have tried in this Bill to provide for the necessary framework within the context of the Bill, to ensure we have a more vibrant County Solicitor, County Attorney and County Legal Advisor so that we ensure that we provide for all these within a unit. We have even suggested in the Bill that we factor in the issue of serving both the county executive and the county assembly. From the functions that we have provided for under Clause 6, it is important to note on record that we have tabled the Committee Report. One of the important issues that we have raised is to have principal legal assistants. It is good to put on record that we are not localizing the Attorney-General’s office. This is an office that is in the mutual engagement of interdependence and distinct governance both at the national level and at the county level. Therefore, it is very important to note that we are not in any way delocalizing the Office of the Attorney- General. We are not telling the Office of the Attorney-General to open 47 small Attorney-General offices in each county. Going forward, we have given guidelines in this legislation to ensure the Attorney-General is the one guiding the necessary rules and regulations of engagement regarding the roles and duties of the County Solicitor, County Attorney and County Legal Advisor. 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."
}