This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
Kenya's Judiciary has been on the right track, clearing a backlog of cases to ensure timely service delivery, but a proposed budget cut of Sh2.9 billion threatens to derail its progress.
According to the Judiciary's Chief Registrar, Anne Amadi, the allocation of Sh18.9 billion for the current financial year is far short of the Sh33.3 billion target, and the proposed cut would exacerbate the problem.
Chief Justice David Maraga has already expressed concerns about the impact of budget cuts on the Judiciary, and the recent public outcry should serve as a warning to the government to reconsider its priorities.
Instead of cutting the Judiciary's budget, the Treasury could look elsewhere for savings, such as reducing non-essential expenses like foreign benchmarking trips and entertainment claims by State officers.
