It is now an open secret that His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio on 27th August 2018 officially appointed Madam Louis Anita Kawa to act as Ombudsman.
A State House appointment letter signed by Julius F. Sandy, Secretary to the President states: “I write to inform you that it has pleased His Excellency President Rtd. Brg. Julius Maada Bio to appoint you to act as Ombudsman until advised otherwise.”
The Office of the Ombudsman was set up by law to investigate complaints from members of the public, who claim to have suffered injustice as a result of maladministration by government ministries, departments, agencies, statutory corporations or institutions established with public funds, in Sierra Leone.
The focus of its investigations is to determine whether an administrative action by a government department is unlawful, unreasonable, unfair, discriminatory, factually deficient or otherwise wrong.
The aim of its investigations is not to prosecute or punish the offending authority, but to resolve the complaints by facilitating negotiation and compromise between the parties or by recommending remedial actions to the authorities concerned.
