President William Ruto will preside over the Huduma Ombudsman Award at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) on Thursday.
The fourth edition award ceremony, which is organized by the Commission of Administrative Justice (office of the Ombudsman), will be held at Amphitheatre Hall.
The award is meant to reward outstanding public officers and institutions under Public Service Delivery and Access to Information Categories.
The award was launched by former president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2014 and public officers from different departments have been rewarded for their exemplary work in serving Kenyans.
During that time, Uhuru said that the civil servants who serve Kenyans diligently will be rewarded with promotion and career progression.
But ironical some public servants who excelled in the award have not been promoted as recommended by the commission while others have climbed up as a result of that.
In 2017, traffic police officer David Chumo made the headlines after he was voted as the best public servant of the year after his outstanding performances in the National Police Service (NPS).
He was the winner in the individual category for upholding integrity in public service, selflessness and going beyond the call of duty to promote the rule of law.
The officer, who refused to take bribes as in the norms among the police service, from poachers and illegal loggers, received a presidential award-The Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) during Mashujaa Day celebrations in 2018.
During the time, he worked in Narok County; he received three commendations from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)and also two from Kenya Forest Service(KFS).
Despite setting the record in NPS for being the first police officer to be a public servant of the year, Chumo has not been promoted, six years down the line the award.
Other officers awarded are Chumo’s first runner-up Olivia Obel, assistant commissioner of prisons in charge of Langata Women Maximum Security Prison, who was promoted to senior assistant commissioner of prisons.
Jenniffer Wangari, a senior children officer with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection was third.
She was promoted to chief children's officer.
The promotions were recommendations from the office of the Commission of Administrative Justice, the Ombudsman.
Also, George Natembeya, the current Tranzoia Governor, who was at that time Isiolo county commissioner was feted and promoted to be regional commissioner in charge of Rift-Valley after being Narok County Commissioner.
