PRESIDENT RUTO RECEIVES ADMINISTRATIVE JUSTICE COMMISSION’S FINAL REPORT
The outgoing Commissioners of Administrative Justice, headed by Chairperson Florence Kajuju, on Tuesday handed over their exit report for the period 2016-2024 to President William Ruto.
Addressing the occasion, Chairperson Kajuju pointed out what had been achieved by the Commission and challenges encountered. “During our tenure, we got 19,730 complaints related to maladministration, and have been able to resolve an average of 40.2 percent.” In her speech, Kajuju said delays in service delivery are an issue that had faced them from the beginning.
In a maiden statement from the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission outlined a host of measures it had taken to better administrative justice.
“We issued several advisories to the National Government on matters of national interest to improve administrative practices and access to information reforms,” the statement read. The Commission had also investigated a wide array of complaints, including those pertaining to the issuance of passports and the plight of migrant domestic workers.
“Our investigations pursued key concerns and sought to secure fair deal for all concerned persons,” Kajuju observed.
The Commission also handled 1,076 review applications within its mandate to enforce the right of access to information.
“We have witnessed a surge in awareness of our mandate, rising from 28 per cent in 2018 to 59.3 per cent in 2023,” Kajuju reported. She said this was due to Commission public education efforts, including Ombudsman Mashinani, county visits, radio and TV programs, legal aid clinics, and other such initiatives.
“As a result of these efforts, there has been an upsurge in awareness of the right to information amongst Kenyans, now standing at 64% in 2023,” the statement read.
Notwithstanding these achievements, the Commission had to face a number of challenges. Chairperson Kajuju did acknowledge the financial constraints to their work: “Among other things, financial limitations affected our ability to deliver services and strengthen our capacity.”
The Commissioners urged amendments to the Constitutive Act and other relevant legislation to beef up the legal framework. “We urge urgent legislative reforms for such,” Kajuju concluded.
