The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), commonly known as the Office of the Ombudsman, has ordered the Mandera County Government to release all information relating to civil servants employed in the county since the inception of devolution in 2013.
In a directive issued to the Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Mandera County Public Service Board, the Commission insisted that the information must be made available in strict compliance with the law.
The order follows an application for review lodged by an individual identified as AMA. The application was filed after the County Secretary allegedly failed to process an earlier request for the information.
The applicant sought comprehensive details on employment, including the total number of staff employed since 2013, their positions, qualifications, designations, job descriptions, dates of employment, and dates of graduation from learning institutions. Additional details requested included the clan designation of the employees.
CAJ wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of the Mandera County Public Service Board on June 16, 2025, asking for an institutional report within seven days. The Commission noted that no response was received from the county office, prompting it to escalate the matter.
In its letter, CAJ reminded the county of its legal obligation under Section 22(3) of the Access to Information Act, 2016, and Regulation 25(1) of the Access to Information General Regulations, 2023, to provide the requested report or any relevant information.
However, when no response came from the CEO, the Commission invoked its statutory powers under the law, and it was determined that the information sought was indeed held by the Mandera County Public Service Board.
The Commission further noted that some of the requested details, such as job descriptions, dates of graduation, and clan designations, could fall under exemptions.
Despite this, CAJ ruled that the county government must still release all permissible records to the applicant.
It ordered the Chief Executive Officer of the Mandera County Public Service Board to facilitate access to the information within twenty-one days.
The Commission directed that the disclosure should include the total number of employees hired by Mandera County since 2013, alongside a breakdown by positions held, qualifications, and designations of the workers.
CAJ further warned that failure to comply with the order would attract serious consequences.
The Commission indicated that it would recommend prosecution against the CEO of the Mandera County Public Service Board in line with Section 28 of the Access to Information Act, 2016.
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