Mbadi's openness on Treasury's actions laudable

National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi shows injuries sustained on his finger after a confrontation with legislators in the House. [David Njaaga, Standard]

A notable gain of Kenya's 2010 Constitution is the enactment of the Access to Information Act, which operationalises the rights set out in Article 35. The law, which came into force on September 21, 2016, affirms the principle that citizens are entitled to obtain information held by public authorities and, where relevant, by private bodies. In doing so, it seeks to strengthen transparency and public accountability.

Public institutions are therefore under a legal obligation to disclose information upon request by any Kenyan citizen, subject to limited exceptions, thereby enabling greater scrutiny of state decisions.