Our Esteemed Stakeholders,
Kindly receive warmest compliments from the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman).
The Commission is a constitutional entity established under Article 59(4) of the Constitution, and the Commission on Administrative Justice Act, 2011 with the mandate, inter-alia, to investigate any conduct in state affairs or any act or omission in public administration in any sphere of Government and complaints of abuse of power, unfair treatment, manifest injustice or unlawful, oppressive, unfair or unresponsive official conduct. The Commission is further mandated under the Access to Information Act, 2016 to oversee and enforce implementation of the Act in the public and private spheres.
Pursuant to its mandate under access to information, the Commission is keen to ensure implementation of access to information at both the national and county levels. Section 96 of the County Governments Act requires every county government to enact legislation to ensure access to information and in line with the Access to Information Act, 2016 and Article 35 of the Constitution. The Commission is aware that some county governments have enacted county access to information law, others have provided for access to information within county public participation law, others are in the process of drafting while some counties have not initiated any process to draft the law.
In order to ensure harmonization and uniformity of the county laws, the Commission, with the support of GIZ-Good Governance Programme, has developed a Guide to the Development of County Access to Information Law and Specimen Bill. As a valued stakeholder, we kindly request for your comments and suggestions to assist in crafting and appropriate model legislation on access to information for the County Governments. Attached is the Guide and specimen law. Let us have your comments by 18th February 2020 to enable us finalize the same.
We look forward to your continued cooperation and assure you of our highest regards.
Yours Sincerely,
LEONARD NGALUMA, MBS
COMMISSION SECRETARY/CEO
The document can be accessed here: Draft Specimen Model Law on Access to Information
