Chief Justice David Marga has faulted the budget cuts on the judiciary, saying projects will be heavily affected all over the country. Speaking to the press on Tuesday, CJ Maraga said during the budget-making process, the judiciary requested a total of Kshs 31.2 billion from the government to cater for the 2018/2019 financial year, with a development budget set at Kshs 11.4 billion, comprising government funding of Kshs 8.5 billion and a World Bank loan facility of Kshs 2.9 billion.
The national government’s budgetary policy statement capped the judiciary’s budget at Kshs 17.3 billion, with the development budget set at Kshs 4 billion. However, the judiciary’s total budget was further reduced to Kshs 14.5 billion when parliament passed the Appropriation Act. “Out of this, the development budget from the government is only Kshs 50 million, compared to Kshs 2.6 billion allocated to the judiciary in the 2014/2015 financial year,” said Maraga, adding that the Kshs 50 million is meant to cater for ongoing projects, repairs, maintenance, and ICT infrastructure for the courts.
CJ Maraga said as a result of the drastic cuts, more than 70 court construction projects are going to stall, “This is more so because the World Bank funding through which 29 of the projects are financed expires in December and there seems to be no willingness to extend it,” he said. 41 government funded projects which are currently at various stages of completion will also be stalled, including projects at Kitale and Eldoret law courts.