Members of Parliament were on Wednesday shocked by a report prepared by Auditor General Edward Ouko on amounts paid to a lawyer assigned to Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.
The report outlined that DCJ Mwilu hired Mr Masha Namusi Barasa as a legal adviser to her office at a whopping Sh5.4 million.
The report tabled in Parliament by Majority Leader Aden Duale also questioned the process through which Mr Barasa was hired by the DCJ's office.
"The payment receipts for the year reflects a figure of Sh63,181,280 for consultancy services
"Included in this payment is a fee of Sh5,400,000 paid to a Masha Namusi Barasa, who was legal counsel to the Deputy Chief Justice," the 2018 report revealed.
Judiciary on the spot
The Judiciary's approval of DCJ Mwilu's hire was also questioned as there was no clear gap in the office to necessitate the hire.
Judiciary has also been questioned over a Sh10.7 million payment to staff members for domestic travel.
"It is not clear why imprests were not issued to the officers before travel to ensure proper accountability," the report stated.
During a hearing of DCJ Mwilu's case on Wednesday, DPP Noordin Haji highlighted incidents where the DCJ accessed interest-free loans from Imperial Bank due to a close bond with Managing Director Abdulmalek Janmohamed.