Attorney General Justin Muturi on Tuesday revealed that a task force constituted to amend the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee (PMAC) proposed changing its organisational structure.
Speaking during the induction programme of the recently sworn members of the Committee, Muturi noted that the changes were informed by the considerable challenges the task force faces in implementing.
Among the issues troubling the committee are the lack of a budget and operational autonomy.
The new structure thus seeks to define the Secretary to the Committee as both the accounting officer and the authorised officer.
"I am pleased to note that the proposed structure has been submitted to the Public Service Commission for approval," he stated.
The Committee works in line with the Power of Mercy Act in the Constitution to advise President William Ruto on granting pardons and commuting sentences to rehabilitated offenders.
AG Muturi further revealed that a policy document prepared by the task force constituted in 2021 amending the Act was approved by the Cabinet at the beginning of October.
"Upon approval of the Policy, we will then finalize the Amendment Bill and it is envisaged that once both documents are adopted and passed by Parliament, they will re-engineer the petition process and result in better outcomes for petitioners," he added.
Attending the induction programme are the seven committee members appointed by the Head of State via a Gazette Notice in mid-October.
The seven are Edward Boor, Rev Humpton Namu, Lorna Mumelo, John Olaka, Bishar Abdullahi, Patrick Musila and Jane Kuria.
In July, just months after taking over the reins, Ruto pardoned 2,944 petty offenders and 2,117 long-term offenders.
He made the drastic decision after receiving advice from the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee. The pardon was aimed at decongesting the prison system across the country.
