Kakamega County has made strides towards establishing an office of the administration of justice by subjecting the County Administrative Justice Bill 2021 to public participation.
Once enacted, the bill will enable residents to access information they need from the County Government and National Government offices in the county.
The Chair of Public Service and Administration Committee of Kakamega County Assembly, Boniface Lubanga, said the Ombudsman Office will help in investigating and addressing maladministration and violation of rights by public officers when citizens make requests for certain information from their offices.
“We decided to come up with the Office of Ombudsman, who will help in ensuring public officers become accountable and embrace an open door policy to disseminate information to the public. This will promote delivery of services to the public for development purposes,” he noted.
The public participation forum at County Social Hall, brought together Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), professional groups, youths, Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs), traders and faith-based organisations.
Lubanga said the public participation exercise was meant to seek input from the public before its implementation as per article 196(1) (b) of the Constitution.
A member of the committee, Jackline Okanya, said the Ombudsman represents the public and acts on behalf of them in cases where they cannot get information.
By Margaret Andeso
