The Ombudsman Newsletter Issue 009 April - June 2023

Abstract

In this edition, we highlight the activities the Commission undertook with the support of the National Treasury under the Financing Locally Led Climate Action Program (FLLoCA). The Commission sensitized officers drawn from 28 counties on effective public complaints management and access to information. The Commission also held citizen engagements through public awareness and education in four counties under the FLLoCA support. The Commission also held engagements with the leadership of both the county executives and the assemblies in Makueni, Embu, Nakuru, and Garissa and the commitment by the counties to establish a Grievance Redress Mechanism and domesticate the access to information law is commendable. On investigation, the Commission released an investigation report on the Alleged Manifest Injustice in the Issuance of Passports by the Department of Immigration. The Commission recommended that the Department of Immigration refunds all applicants with outstanding overpayment and formulate policy guidelines that will formalise and standardise the management of issues arising from the passport application processes. The Commission will monitor the implementation of the recommendations made to the various agencies to ensure that the issues are resolved and service delivery is improved. The Commission also continued with the capacity building initiatives where public officers from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies were trained on effective complaint management and access to information with the County Assembly of Machakos receiving technical support from the Commission in developing its complaints management and access to information which will play a very central role in streamlining complaint management and access to information at the Assembly. Two memorable complaints the Commission resolved in this quarter is of a Kiambu Widow who can finally find peace following the removal of restriction on her land after seventeen years and a Doctor of Philosophy student who can finally complete his studies after five years thanks to our intervention. The Commission also explored areas of possible partnerships and collaborations with long-standing partners and new partners and also had the privilege of hosting the Information Access Commissioners from all over Africa. In closing, I want to thank the Commissioners and staff for the important role they are playing in promoting administrative justice and access to information in Kenya through complaints resolution and public education. Through teamwork and partnerships, we will always achieve better.