Ombudsman demands improved capacity to ensure accountability
International Ombudsman Institute has said it is important for institutions to work together and improve their capacity to ensure that issues of transparency and accountability are adhered to in countries they serve.
International Ombudsman Institute President, Peter Tyndall, said this will also help governments to provide justice to their citizens.
“It is very important that institutions of ombudsman work together to improve their capacity and help their governments to account and deal with maladministration and to provide justice for the people,” Tyndall said
Tyndall, who is also Ombudsman and Information Commissioner of Ireland, made the remarks yesterday in Lilongwe at the opening of African regional training.
The training intends to equip the institutions with knowledge on the role of ombudsman in promoting and enforcing accountability, ethics, and transparency in the public sector.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Samuel Tembenu, said issues of maladministration, injustice, and corruption would be easily dealt with if the institutions focus on weak systems and ineffective structures.
Tembenu further said ombudsman institutions should work within their mandate to execute their duties effectively.
“It is important for every institution in this country to work within their mandate because it’s a question of shared responsibility. The ombudsman is an institution that deals with maladministration; so, if one institution begins to do the work of another there will be chaos. We want to achieve what we want to do in an orderly manner,” he said
Malawi’s Ombudsman, Martha Chizuma Mwangonde, expressed optimism that the training will equip the institutions and help in filling gaps that exist in various African countries.
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