Office of the Ombudsman Awards Exemplary Public Officers and Institutions

Nairobi,

Thursday, November 23, 2023

KNA by Winnie Wachira and Fridah Kamuri

The government has asked members of public to give feedback on services offered by the government as way of assessing performance and help improve the services.

The State Department for Performance and Delivery Management Principal Secretary, Veronica Nduva said that feedback through complaints and compliments will help assess performance of public institutions and improve on services offered and in so doing enable citizen access services efficiently.

“It is vital to not only recognize the complaints but also the compliments of Kenyans for this will help the concerned institutions to continue or improve on areas of weakness highlighted by the members of the Public,” she said.

She urged public servants to serve with humility, grace and recognition of the job at hand. She echoed the sentiments of Wycliffe Thirikwa, a beneficiary of the ombudsman office, who stated that public officers should not undermine citizens’ complaints and should serve wholeheartedly since they are only custodians of the office.

The PS was speaking at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) Nairobi during the fourth edition of the Huduma Ombudsman Awards 2023 organised by the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) to celebrate outstanding public officers and institutions.

This year’s theme was ‘Improved Public Service Delivery by Deepening and Strengthening Administrative Justice and Access to Information.’

Several institutions and individuals bagged prestigious accolades in different categories. Kenya Revenue Authority, Huduma Kenya and National Council for Law Reporting won first place in institutional groupings among others.

Corporal Julius Karanja Irungu, a police officer Stationed at Wajir SOG won the Ombudsman valor award for his bravery during an IED terror attack in Wajir.

Another notable winner was Precious Dama Randu, Assistant County Commisioner, Matsangoni division in Kilifi North Sub- County who excelled in the public service delivery category.

The awards consisted of individual, institutional and Ombudsman valor Award categories that appreciate effective, accountable and a responsive public service. The commission has adopted this approach to promote compliance with administrative justice and access to information. 

The CAJ Chairperson, Florence Kajuju underscored the need to sensitize Kenyans on the use of the public portal of the Complaints Management Information System (CMIS) to lodge their complaints. “The commission has strengthened the complains turning mechanism by training government officers, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to build their capacity to manage walk- ins” she said

Courtesy; KNA