This archive report was first published on 30 October 2019.
On October 29, 2019, the High Court of Kenya issued a temporary reprieve to the Judiciary, halting any further budget cuts.
Justice Makau Mutua, in a landmark ruling, barred the National Treasury from slashing the Judiciary's funds, pending a full hearing and determination of the case.
The move comes after the Law Society of Kenya sued the National Treasury and the Attorney General over the budget cuts, which had seen some courts shut down due to cash crunch.
According to reports, the Judiciary had requested Sh31.2 billion to fund its operations but was only allocated Sh17.3 billion.
Acting Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani had announced austerity measures, including a 50% cut in recurrent expenditure, to fund the Big Four agenda amid a downturn in revenue collection.
Justice Mutua further ordered the Judicial Service Commission to provide a detailed report on how the budget cuts have affected its functions.
The matter will be mentioned on November 6 for further directions.
