The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) on Thursday issued summons and notices of show cause to public officers accused of turning a blind eye to issues raised against their institutions by members of the public.
The Commission popularly known as the Office of the Ombudsman targets, among others, Dr. Bellio Kipsang, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Basic Education, and Kenya Power Managing Director Dr. Eng. Joseph Siror.
In a show cause notice to PS Kipsang, the Ombudsman wants him to give reasons why disciplinary action should not be taken against him in light of his “unresponsiveness” to complaints lodged against his department.
Others targeted by the Commission alongside the Basic Education PS for paying no attention to complaints raised against their institutions include the Secretary for the National Registration Bureau Christopher Kinyua Wanjau, the National Land Commission Chief Executive Officer Tache Kabale, and Nancy Kirumba, the Kiambu County Executive Committee Member for Finance and Economic Planning.
“You are hereby required to show cause within fourteen days from the date hereof why your name should not be entered in the Register of Malfeasant Public Officers as an unresponsive public officer and unfit to serve in the public service and for the Commission to further cite you as such in its statutory report in accordance with Regulation 18 (c) of the Commission on Administrative Justice Regulations,” read the notice to Kipsang and others addressed by the commission
The Ombudsman also wants Kenya Power boss to appear before the commission “for purposes of questioning or disclosure of information and/ or production of documents and examination,” due to complaints lodged against Kenya Power by the public and which, to date, remain unanswered.
The Ombudsman decries omission within the public service which constitutes failure to act in the discharge of official duty as well as unresponsive official conduct and/ or inefficiency and ineptitude.
“A public officer who fails to honour a summon is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding Kshs 500,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both under section 52 of the Commission on Administrative Justice Act,2011,” the Commission stated in a statement
