House Speaker Kenneth Marende has called for strengthening of legal departments in African countries' Parliaments, saying the move will greatly improve governance in the continent. Marende said the Speaker's office in various Parliaments should no longer rely on legal experts seconded to them by the executive.
He said the Kenyan Parliament has for many years relied on the Attorney General's office, a member of the Cabinet, for provision of legal services. Marende said the establishment of Parliament's own legal office in 2007 greatly improved the operations of the Speaker's office as well as those of members of Parliament and "f'reed the legislature from the claws of the executive".
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