06 Nov 2019

The Office of the Ombudsman is said to be inundated with cases of maladministration practices.

Speaking during a one-day seminar organised by the Ombudsman office for heads of department for different organisations in Francistown on Monday, senior legal investigator, Ms Draupadi Kapeko said the cases did not only affect service delivery in the public service but the country’s economy as well.

Such cases of maladministration, she said, included decisions made outside the power of authority, decisions contrary to the law, decisions based on improper motive, inadequate record-keeping and failure to render services.

Ms Kapeko however, stated that the Office of the Ombudsman was working around the clock to get rid of the backlog adding that parties were called to give their side of the story before the office started its investigations.

On other issues, Ms Kapeko stated that the Office of the Ombudsman had been delegated the same power as that of the High Court such as the right to seize files from government institutions for investigations.

She said the office did not investigate private companies or any matter between the government of Botswana and other governments or international organisations.

Ms Kapeko said where the Office of the Ombudsman did not have jurisdiction over a matter, there were other regulatory bodies responsible for the resolution of such disputes and complaints.

For her part, acting chief investigator, Ms Itumeleng Makgesu said since its establishment in 1995 by an Act of Parliament, the Office of the Ombudsman contributed to the promotion of good governance in public administration through the facilitation of the use of best administrative practices.

She observed that most government institutions now adhered to key best administrative practices by acting under the law and making decisions based on the law.

Another practice, she said, was being customer-focused both internal and external by having clear and simple procedures and also ensuring easy access to services by the customers.

Furthermore, Ms Makgesu explained that it was of paramount importance for government institutions to be open and accountable.

She also said treating customers equally and avoiding discrimination would ensure promotion of good governance.

The main objective of the seminar was to raise public awareness on maladministration practices in government institutions and come up with solutions on how to address them.  The seminar was attended by government institutions that include members of the Botswana Police Service, The Francistown High Court branch, Department of Broadcasting Services (Francistown), various department of Agriculture Development and Food Security.

The main mandate of the Office of the Ombudsman is to investigate the administrative actions or decisions taken by public institutions or the officials of such institutions, amongst others.ENDS