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{
    "id": 798747,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/798747/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 318,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I choose to go to the Ombudsman because I knew the issue was about unfair administration of justice. Having a legal background, I knew it would be faster for the Ombudsman to handle my situation than for me to go through the processes of a court procedure. I also looked at the cost, knowing that I was carrying the burden of a whole community. You have to bear the cost of going to a court of law to file cases. I chose to use the Ombudsman Office because first of all it is free. That means you can easily access it. Secondly, it is not a long procedure. I just wrote a complaint on behalf of the community stating how I had been unfairly treated by the REA and that I wanted to be heard. To me, this is a good Motion because it will take services closer to mwananchi. If we devolve this service, then they will have it. It will also create awareness that there is an office of the Ombudsman. If you take it to them, they will know it exists. By the time I was making the complaint on behalf of the community, I had to travel all the way from Sultan Hamud – the Senator for Makueni knows where that is – to Westlands for me to access the Office of the Ombudsman. So, you can imagine our mothers who do not even know how to go to Nairobi. If you ask them to go to the Office of the Ombudsman in Westlands, then they will never access that service. Devolving the services will mean a lot to them. First they will know that it is there and secondly it is accessible because they will just walk there and file their complaints. Thirdly, filing a case is easy and free. The other thing is devolution in itself. If we are devolving every other service, this is one service that should be devolved. We are talking about devolution in many sectors. As a result of that, there is likelihood that disputes are likely to arise out of unfair treatment by authorities. In fact, people will not believe when you tell them the Ombudsman is helping them to complain against the Government. So, it will be easier because a lot of functions are being devolved and out of that a lot of issues will arise due to unfair administration of justice. We expect that there will be more issues; the more reason we should devolve the Office of the Ombudsman. When I visited the Office of the Ombudsman, I appealed on behalf of the community. I told them that for them to see what was happening about the project that I was complaining about – because there was so much wastage yet I was being denied – I asked them to go to the ground but they were unable. From my own assessment, they could not come because of the lean personnel and they do not have much resources to move around the country so that they can give the services. Devolution will ensure that the little there will be is divided to the few Ombudsman offices that will be created. That will ensure that they get a good budget. At the end of the day, they will have the resources and personnel that go with it. The more the personnel, the more the resources and services to the people. I support this Motion. I am glad the Mover has hinted that this will lead to a review of the main Act that created the Office of the Ombudsman. A review of the Act will ensure that people are served better in terms of what we are talking about in this Motion. At that time, they could not even hear witnesses. People could complain but there was no room for them to hear or see what people were talking about because they could The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}