By Janet Nyamwamu
The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) begins intensive budget hearings this week under the 2026 Budget Policy Statement schedule.
The demanding round of sittings follows the release of the official timetable for processing the 2026 Budget Policy Statement, marking one of the committee’s busiest oversight periods this session.
The hearings will bring together key institutions in Kenya’s justice and governance sector for back-to-back engagements with Members of Parliament, among them West Mugirango MP Stephen Mogaka, who sits on the committee.
Monday’s programme opens with an in-house briefing by the Parliamentary Budget Office before lawmakers receive submissions from major justice sector agencies.
The committee will hear presentations from the Judiciary of Kenya, followed by the Judicial Service Commission and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.
Discussions are expected to centre on funding gaps, service delivery and institutional reforms.
In the afternoon, MPs will engage the Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice, the Witness Protection Agency and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
The day will conclude with submissions from the State Department for Correctional Services, linking directly to ongoing deliberations on correctional reforms.
On Tuesday, attention shifts to prosecutorial and accountability agencies, starting with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, followed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Commission on Administrative Justice.
The hearings will culminate in a closely watched session with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, where MPs are expected to interrogate electoral reforms and financing requirements ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Legislative Business Running Concurrently
Beyond budget scrutiny, the committee will also consider the programme for the Public Participation Bill, 2025, alongside briefings on pending legislative proposals affecting governance and public accountability.
With multiple constitutional bodies appearing within two days, the hearings are expected to shape funding priorities across the justice sector while testing institutional preparedness ahead of a politically significant electoral cycle.
The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly is chaired by George Gitonga Murugara, with Eckomas Mwengi Mutuse serving as Vice Chairperson.
Its membership includes Farah Maalim, John Okwisia Makali, Gladys Jepkosgei Boss, Eric Muchangi Karembu, Hulbale Harun Suleka, Michael Mwangi Muchira, Silvanus Osoro Onyiego, Stephen Mogaka, Daudi Aden Mohamed, Paul Otieno Amollo, Timothy Wanyonyi Wetangula, Amina Udgoon Siyad Kuno and Francis Tom Joseph Kajwang’.
They collectively oversee legislative scrutiny and matters relating to justice, constitutional affairs and legal reforms within Parliament.