The National Assembly Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs (JLAC) has called on agencies in the justice and governance sector to tighten their belt and concentrate on the core mandates. These sentiments have come as the parliament goes through the 2026 Budget Policy Statement.

Taking it to their social media handle on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the parliament noted that while sitting in the Parliament Buildings, the Committee led by Tharaka Member of Parliament George Murugara highlighted that Kenya has a very narrow fiscal space, which mandates restraining budgeting and close consideration of resource priorities.

“We are operating within very tight fiscal space. Every shilling must go to essential services. Agencies must prioritise what is urgent and demonstrate clear value for the allocations they are seeking,” Murugara noted.

 The committee noted that even though the economy has continued to experience steady growth of 5.1 per cent during the last three years, the difference between the projected revenues and projected expenditure is wide.

Further, the JLAC committee noted that the 2026/27 financial year, total revenue, including appropriation in aid, is expected to be Ksh3.53 trillion, and the total expenditure and net lending are expected to be Ksh4.7 trillion.

The committee noted that the agencies should show the tangible value of the allocations they are requesting. One of the worst funding gaps is the Judiciary, which is short of Ksh17.439 billion.

Judicial and Electoral bodies complain of budget deficits

Appearing before the committee, Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Winfridah Mokaya, announced that the Judiciary was budgeted Ksh29.014 billion compared to the need of Ksh46.453 billion. She cautioned that such a deficit may undermine the preparedness for elections and day-to-day service provision. An example is the Judiciary Committee on Elections, which was funded at Ksh114 million instead of the required amount of Ksh1.02 billion.

Equally, the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal, according to the committee, was assigned Ksh9.3 million in comparison with the estimated requirement of Ksh179 million, which casts doubt on the preparedness of the upcoming General Elections.

On the other hand, appearing before the committee, the Registrar of Political Parties, John Larionokou, threatened that the cut-down on funding would hamper the office’s ability to register and control political parties, funding, and civic education in the lead-up to the next General Elections.

Some of the other agencies that presented themselves before the Committee are the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the Witness Protection Agency and the State Department of Justice, Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs.

 JLAC stated that it will also maintain a consultation process with other institutions until the 2026 Budget Policy Statement is reviewed by the National Assembly.