The Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) Tuesday launched the public portal of the Complaints Management information System (CMIS).
This system will enable the public to appeal or complain against the delay of government services, abuse of power, access to information and track complaint resolution progress online.
Hon. Lady Justice Njoki Ndung’u, speaking on behalf of the Chief Justice Martha Koome during the launch at KICC, congratulated the commission’s achievement for the new system which would settle and enhance the efficiency of the commission in processing and resolving complaints.
She noted that the commission has a role to play in facilitating the realization of the Constitution’s vision by promoting peace, justice and inclusiveness in our society.
“The system will ensure the cost effectiveness in accessing the commission’s services and help it reach the marginalized and vulnerable groups in our society,” said Koome.
The CJ added that the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) has a significant role to play in the promotion of national values and principles and a mandate to provide quick, flexible and cost-effective interventions to mediate between the citizen and the more powerful state bureaucracy.
Country Director Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Mr. Bodo Immink said that the launch of CMIS marks a significant milestone in the digital innovation initiative in promotion of good governance.
“It is our hope that the launch of CMIS will go a very long way in enhancing access to justice,” said Immink.
The Commission on Administrative Justice Chairperson Florence Kajuju said that they would be able to bridge the gap where there were no physical offices since complainants could easily access the Ombudsman services online.
“It is important to note that with the launch of the CMIS system, complainants can create their own user profiles. This will enable them to feed details of any complaint against public entities into the system from any part of the country and from any part of the world,” said Kajuju.
At the same time, she noted that since April 1, 2022, the Commission has been fully using the system in terms of complaints handling and currently the Commission has over 6000 active complaints.
She added that so far, they have processed over 493 complaints through the system.
The Office of the Ombudsman is often known as the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ). Under the old Constitution, the Public Complaints Standing Committee (PCSC) was established in 2007 as a department within the Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion, and Constitutional Affairs.
By Teresa Rurigi and Mwereza K Sorotina
