Kisii County Deputy Governor, Elijah Obebo, hosted a delegation from the Commission on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), led by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mercy Wambua.
The meeting, which focused on the role of the Ombudsman and the Commission’s mandate, was aimed at improving public service delivery, tackling maladministration, and resolving complaints related to various public sector programs.
The CAJ, which has a dual mandate extending to both National and County Governments, primarily focuses on addressing issues of maladministration in the public sector.
The delegation is currently on a national fact-finding mission, particularly examining the operation of the SHA/SHIF programs, while also addressing the grievances under the FLLOCA (Financing Locally-Led Climate Action) program.
During the meeting, Ms. Wambua emphasized the importance of a robust Grievance Redress Mechanism Policy highlighting that the CAJ has a model in place for public access to information.
Noting the need for the model to be adapted to meet the local context in the county, she said Kisii is served by the CAJ office in Kisumu and through a desk at the Huduma Centre.
In addition to discussing complaint resolution and access to information, the meeting addressed the issue of performance contracting, with a focus on key indicators such as public complaint resolution and service delivery charters.
The CEO of CAJ also assured the Deputy Governor that the Commission is ready to offer technical support in domestication of the Access to Information Act.
Ms. Viola Ochola, Director of Access to Information, explained that the desk at Huduma Centre was established to provide easier access to CAJ services for the public, in line with the centralization of government services.
She also clarified that the Access to Information Act is not an absolute right but provides a framework for maximum, rather than total, disclosure.
The County Attorney’s office has made significant strides in resolving complaints and addressing issues related to the Access to Information Act, with a plan to have a draft of the domesticating law ready for public participation by June 2025.
The County Attorney also requested the assistance of CAJ in establishing a Grievance Redress Mechanism(GRM) infrastructure and providing capacity-building support to staff.
The delegation also discussed the importance of succession planning within the county’s departments. The County Attorney assured the delegation that succession planning was being addressed in the current review of the County’s Human Resource Policy and Procedures.
This marks a significant step toward improving governance, transparency, and responsiveness in Kisii County’s public service delivery.
