Ombudsman appoints Naisiae Tobiko as new chief executive

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The Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) appointed Naisiae Paloshe Tobiko as chief executive officer and commission secretary following a competitive recruitment process.

Commission Chairperson Charles Dulo announced the appointment on Tuesday, June 16.

Tobiko takes the helm of the constitutional body, widely known as the Office of the Ombudsman, which investigates maladministration across national and county governments and enforces the Access to Information Act 2016.

The CAJ picked Tobiko after a competitive process under Article 232 of the Constitution, the Commission on Administrative Justice Act, and Public Service Commission (PSC) guidelines.

The commission received 40 applications and shortlisted 10 candidates who faced interviews, testing leadership, strategic vision, and integrity.

Tobiko brings more than 15 years of public service experience to the role. She most recently served as a county elections manager at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), where she oversaw electoral operations, institutional planning, and stakeholder engagement.

The new chief executive previously held several senior roles at the IEBC. Those positions included manager for commission services, manager for field services, personal assistant to the chairperson, and constituency elections coordinator.

In 2021, Tobiko was among 36 candidates shortlisted from Kajiado and across the country for IEBC commissioner posts. She appeared before a selection panel that July, telling interviewers the electoral agency needed stable leadership, not appointed too close to elections.

While she missed out on the commissioner posts and remained in her management role, she now takes charge of a different constitutional watchdog five years later.

Tobiko holds a master's degree from the University of Nairobi (UON) and a bachelor's degree in communications, with electives in psychology and community development, from Daystar University.

She has also trained in strategic leadership, democratic elections management, and public administration.

As accounting officer and chief executive, Tobiko will run the programs and policies of the CAJ, oversee its push against maladministration in public service, and support enforcement of the Access to Information Act.