Task force formed to overhaul Public Trustee Department

ZIPPORAH ODIONYI AND PASKAL OSONGA-KNA

The Government has established a task force to spearhead the incorporation and institutional transformation of the Public Trustee Department in a move aimed at improving the management of estates and trusts, clearing longstanding case backlogs, and strengthening the protection of widows, orphans, minors, and other vulnerable beneficiaries.

Speaking in Nairobi, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor said the reforms would modernise one of the country’s oldest public institutions and restore public confidence in its services.

“The task force will serve for four months and tell Kenyans precisely what is wrong, fix what can be fixed immediately, and hand me the legal and institutional framework to address the remaining challenges,” she said.

According to the Attorney General, the task force has been mandated to develop a legal framework for incorporating the Public Trustee Department into an autonomous corporate entity, review the Law of Succession Act, streamline service delivery, and recommend measures to strengthen governance, financial sustainability, and operational efficiency.

Oduor noted that the Public Trustee Department, which manages the estates of persons who die intestate, trust property, and the assets of minors and persons of unsound mind, has operated for decades under structural limitations that have contributed to bureaucratic delays, a growing backlog of cases, and declining public confidence in its services.

“Kenyans have come to my office with files that are older than their children. Widows have waited years for distribution that in a functional system should have taken months. That is not acceptable, and it will not continue,” she stated.

The AG announced that all files currently held by the department at headquarters and regional offices would be mapped to establish the number of pending cases, their age and the causes of delays. 

“Where a file can be closed immediately once it is found, it will be closed immediately,” Oduor asserted, adding that the exercise would also support the digitisation of records and improve beneficiaries’ ability to monitor the progress of their cases.

The AG further reported that the task force would recommend reforms to better protect widows, widowers, orphans and persons with disabilities while developing governance and financial arrangements necessary to transition the department into an autonomous institution.

She added that public participation forums and calls for memoranda will be conducted across the country before the final report is submitted.

Task Force Chairperson, Linda Murila described her appointment as an honour and said the initiative reflected the Government’s commitment to reforming the justice sector.

“The establishment of the task force is a clear demonstration of the Government’s commitment to reform, modernisation, accountability and enhanced service delivery within the justice sector,” she reiterated.

Murila disclosed that the task force would undertake broad consultations with government agencies, the Judiciary, professional bodies, civil society organisations and members of the public to ensure the reforms reflect stakeholders’ views.

“We recognise that meaningful institutional transformation cannot be achieved in isolation. We will therefore engage widely with stakeholders and most importantly members of the public,” echoed the Chairperson.

Murila also pledged that the team would execute its mandate diligently and deliver practical, implementable recommendations capable of transforming the institution within the stipulated time frame.

“We are fully aware of the expectations placed upon us and we are committed to delivering recommendations that are practicable, implementable and capable of delivering measurable improvements,” she reaffirmed.