The Commission on Administrative Justice, popular as the Ombudsman has asked Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to comply with a request to provide full details regarding a Kenyan delegation to the upcoming Olympics in Paris.
In a letter to the CS, Ombudsman Commissioner in charge of Access to Information Lucy Ndungu wants Namwamba to share with the public a list of all non-competitive participants traveling at public expense with the official Kenyan delegation to the Paris Olympics as requested by Bond Advocates LLP.
Among other things, the group had asked the CS to disclose a schedule of the individual roles of each of the non-competitive participants traveling to the Paris Olympics at public expense as well as the amount of money involved.
“The Request for information relates to…a schedule of the allowances and sustenance costs for each of the non-competitive participants travelling at public expense to the Paris Olympics,” said the letter to CS and copied to PS Peter Tum
“An indication of the cumulative costs of the non-competitive participants travelling at public expense to the Paris Olympics,” said the letter to CS and copied to PS Peter Tum
The Ombudsman says Article 35 (1) (a) of the Constitution guarantees every Citizen the right of access to information held by the State. It further, argues that Article 35 (3) requires the State to publish and publicize important information affecting the Nation. “Additionally, Section 5 of the Access to Information Act, 2016 mandates all public entities to proactively disclose important information affecting the Nation,” noted the Commission in the letter
