The Office of the Attorney General has embarked on decentralising services to the counties to enhance access to justice and improve service delivery.
Attorney General Dorcas Oduor said the exercise, which began in January, has led to the opening of 15 new offices outside Nairobi, bringing the total to 27 county offices.
She noted that two additional offices are being opened in Siaya and Homa Bay, with the decentralisation effort, aimed at establishing at least one office in every county, expected to expand further in the next financial year.
Speaking in Kisumu during the commissioning of the Regional Documentation Resource Centre, the AG stated that the objective is to decentralise nine key functions to the counties to improve efficiency in service delivery.
Among the services to be decentralised are civil litigation, the Department of Justice, marriage registration, the Public Trustee, the National Legal Aid Service (NLAS), and the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee (POMAC). These services will now be available in the counties, saving Kenyans time and money previously spent travelling to regional offices and Nairobi.
For the first time, the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee (POMAC), based in Nairobi, is being decentralised to assist long-serving prisoners.
“This move is in line with the Constitution and the President’s directive to bring services closer to the people,” she said.
The Attorney General’s office, she added, is committed to this process and urged officers deployed to county offices to take advantage of the increased capacity to significantly reduce the backlog of cases, fostering greater public trust in the justice system.
“As we continue decentralising, counties that have not yet been reached will be served by the nearest county offices until separate offices are established,” she said.
The Regional Documentation Resource Centre, she added, is critical to the AG’s office’s service delivery, and she encouraged staff in the various departments to utilise it to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
“We handle very sensitive information, including marriage records, property administration, and virtual documentation used as court exhibits, which must be stored in a way that allows for easy retrieval,” she said.
Plans, she added, are underway to digitise this information to ensure accurate and timely access, further enhancing service delivery.
– By Chris Mahandara
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