The Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) wants to have an office within the Kenya Defence Forces to be able to address injustices to KDF officers impartially.
The Office of Ombudsman stated in presentations to the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that their proposal was motivated by KDF’s insufficient internal complaints management system.
Chairperson Florence Kajuju stated that by June 2023, the commission had received 289 complaints from current and former KDF members regarding promotion and firing, among other issues.
“The complainants have asserted that their complaints have not been appropriately dealt with through the existing internal grievance procedures in the defence forces,” she told the committee.
She went on to say that the military institutions’ distinctive command structure has not only rendered the entire complaint resolution procedure stiff but also regarded to be partial.
The Ombudsman’s Office is a constitutional entity created under Article 59(4) of the Constitution and the Commission on Administrative Justice Act of 2011.
The commission’s mandate includes, among other things, investigating any conduct in state affairs or any act or omission in public administration in any sphere of government, as well as complaints of abuse of power, unfair treatment, manifest injustice, or unlawful, oppressive, unfair, or unresponsive official behavior.
According to Kajuju, the KDF’s complaint-handling infrastructure is inadequate, and hence the establishment of the Office of the Military Ombudsman will be critical in filling the gaps.
