This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
More than 15,000 cases were suspended yesterday after dozens of courts around the country shut down due to crippling budget cuts. The Judiciary had requested Sh31.2 billion, but Parliament allocated it Sh14.5 billion, which Treasury has now slashed to Sh11.5 billion.
Of these, 10,000 are pending cases in tribunals, including those on rent restrictions, business premises, and cooperatives. Additionally, 5,598 cases in mobile courts around the country have been affected. The mobile courts, which majorly operate in pastoral areas, have been shut down indefinitely.
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Ann Amadi declined to comment, citing the case filed by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) challenging the budget cuts. Treasury slashed the Judiciary's budget by Sh3 billion last month, citing revenue shortfalls and the need to raise funds for President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four agenda.
“All our courts are affected. It is a real problem that needs to be addressed urgently,” a senior officer said. Macharia Njeru, a commissioner with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), condemned the cuts as self-defeating, saying they would only have the effect of grinding to a halt the operations of the Judiciary.
LSK Mombasa branch chairman Matthew Nyabena called for suspension of the cuts to pave way for consultations, saying the unilateral action by Treasury without due consultation with the Judiciary continues to visit undue hardship on already impoverished citizens.
Yesterday, the Labour Court in Malindi and High Court in Nakuru suspended sittings, with public notices sent out citing budgetary constraints. Court officers and judges who spoke to The Standard warned of an imminent collapse of the justice system if the crisis is not urgently addressed.
