Importance of the Office of the Investigator General in the Control of Administrative Action Importance of the Office of the Investigator General in the Control of Administrative Action
By Maxwell Zulu (BAEd, LLB, Dip AEd): Importance of the Office of the Investigator General in the control of administrative action
Introduction
Until the early 1970s, Zambia did not have the office of the Ombudsman or Investigator General. In 1972 when cases of corruption and abuse of power were becoming more rampant, Dr Kenneth Kaunda the republican president then expressed a wish and desire to set up an institution to fight these vices. Thus this marked the birth of the Office of the Investigator General which is also known as the Commission of Investigations or the Ombudsman. This office, among other things, was mandated to supervise the work of the executive by checking on its maladministration . Sad though, the Office of the Investigator General can be said to be very little heard about its activities and achievements and yet this is a very important institution in Zambia. Although it is a government wing which passionately wants to fight corruption in the country it has been neglected. Suffice to mention, the essay aims, therefore, to discuss the importance of this Office in the control of administrative action, in an attempt to foster protection of the individual’s rights in the state-individual relations with reference to the statutes and other relevant authorities.
Importance of the Office of the Investigator General in the control of administrative action
There are three ways in administrative law that deal with maladministration, namely through commencement of Judicial Review Proceedings under Order 53 of the Rules of the Supreme Court, the Tribunal under Inquiries Act and finally laying a complaint to the Investigator General. The latter is very important in the attainment of administrative justice. This office is established by the Constitution of Zambia. Article 90(1) of the Constitution of Zambia Act stipulates that:
“There shall be an Investigator General of the Republic who shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the
Introduction
Until the early 1970s, Zambia did not have the office of the Ombudsman or Investigator General. In 1972 when cases of corruption and abuse of power were becoming more rampant, Dr Kenneth Kaunda the republican president then expressed a wish and desire to set up an institution to fight these vices. Thus this marked the birth of the Office of the Investigator General which is also known as the Commission of Investigations or the Ombudsman. This office, among other things, was mandated to supervise the work of the executive by checking on its maladministration . Sad though, the Office of the Investigator General can be said to be very little heard about its activities and achievements and yet this is a very important institution in Zambia. Although it is a government wing which passionately wants to fight corruption in the country it has been neglected. Suffice to mention, the essay aims, therefore, to discuss the importance of this Office in the control of administrative action, in an attempt to foster protection of the individual’s rights in the state-individual relations with reference to the statutes and other relevant authorities.
Importance of the Office of the Investigator General in the control of administrative action
There are three ways in administrative law that deal with maladministration, namely through commencement of Judicial Review Proceedings under Order 53 of the Rules of the Supreme Court, the Tribunal under Inquiries Act and finally laying a complaint to the Investigator General. The latter is very important in the attainment of administrative justice. This office is established by the Constitution of Zambia. Article 90(1) of the Constitution of Zambia Act stipulates that:
“There shall be an Investigator General of the Republic who shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the
Bibliography: Linda, R.F. (1977). The International Ombudsman Yearbook Vol. 1 11A Salverm G