Members of County Assembly (MCAs) have filed a court case seeking to overturn a Sh4 billion budget cut that has reduced their annual allocation from Sh40 billion to Sh36 billion.

The ward representatives argue that the sudden reduction will hinder their oversight of county governments, disrupt operations, and affect salaries and procurement processes.

They want the court to declare the County Allocation of Revenue Act (2024) unconstitutional.

Despite the reduction in the MCAs' allocation, county executives saw their budget increase by Sh7 billion.

This disparity has fueled the MCAs' legal challenge, with representatives insisting that their role in governance should not be undermined by financial constraints.

Meanwhile, a previous court order halting the release of Equitable Share funds to counties has been lifted. The Council of Governors had petitioned for the order’s removal, stating that it had caused service delivery paralysis.

The council explained that the budget cuts stemmed from last year’s anti-government protests, which led to the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024.

“The protests impacted revenue collection, necessitating a downward revision of the Equitable Share from Sh400 billion to Sh387 billion,” the governors told the court.

The governors maintained that the Senate made the necessary adjustments to both county assemblies and executives within constitutional and legal limits.

“The Senate proportionally adjusted the budgetary ceilings of both entities in compliance with constitutional and statutory guidelines,” they added.

MCAs, however, insist that the cuts unfairly target their role in county governance and have turned to the courts for a resolution.