BY NED GAGAHE
Ombudsman Fred Fakari’i calls on the government to include clear provisions in the Public Service Bill 2025 to allow citizens to submit complaints and feedback on public services.
Appearing before the Bills and Legislation Committee on Monday, Mr Fakari’i said the bill currently focuses on handling complaints from government employees but lacks any system for the public, the users of services—to raise concerns or give feedback.
“This bill, while it deals with complaints of people inside the system, does not create a mechanism to deal with or respond to users of our services,” he said.
Fakari’i said now is the right time to make that change.
“Many times we take complaints from the public as criticism. But these are actually feedbacks that can help us improve. We should take them positively,” he said.
The Ombudsman gave an example from rural areas, saying that if a villager reports a clinic is closed, it should not be ignored or taken as an attack on government, but seen as useful information that helps improve service delivery.
“It is important to go and find where that person lives, to prove what they are saying is true. But we don’t have that mechanism in our ministries,” he pointed out.
Mr Fakari’i stressed that dealing with public complaints is not only about fixing problems, but also has wider benefits for government such as the following factors;
- Improves service delivery
- Promotes transparency and accountability
- Boosts efficiency and consistency
- Empowers public servants to prevent corruption
- Helps officers learn and grow
- Rebuilds public trust in government
He said one of the government’s key policies is on how to rebuild the trust of people thus he believes having this mechanism in the bill is a big step in that direction.
“I strongly ask that this is included in the legislation.
“I do not see any provision that deals with feedback from our citizens on the services we provide,” Fakari’i said.
The Public Service Bill 2025 is currently under scrutiny by the committee and is expected to go before Parliament soon.
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