Institutionalization of Ethics, Integrity, and Accountability in Public Institutions and Scaling out and rolling out sectoral ombudsman platforms

Between 2018 and 2019, the Office of the Ombudsman expanded its mandate by introducing two strategic initiatives aimed at improving accountability, ethical governance, and service delivery in the public sector. In June 2018, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Office launched the Hospital Ombudsman Mechanism to strengthen accountability in public health facilities. This intervention responded to the increasing number of complaints relating to poor health service delivery, maladministration by health officials, and preventable patient harm. In June 2019, as part of the Government's Public Sector Reforms Programme, the Office was assigned the responsibility of coordinating the institutionalization of ethics, integrity, and accountability across all public institutions. This expanded mandate required significant institutional reforms, including the establishment of the Ethics and Sectoral Ombudsman Division, the development of operational tools and guidelines for promoting ethics, and the introduction of sector specific Ombudsman mechanisms in service-intensive sectors such as immigration, transport, education, agriculture, taxation, roads, and prisons. Notable progress has been achieved, including the operationalization of Hospital Ombudsman structures in all public health facilities across the country, the establishment of the Ethics and Sectoral Ombudsman Division, and the training of 80 public officials in Ntcheu and Zomba districts in 2026 to strengthen ethical conduct within the public service. Despite these achievements, substantial gaps remain in fully implementing the reform agenda, particularly in scaling up the Hospital Ombudsman Mechanism, expanding sectoral Ombudsman services to other critical sectors, strengthening ethics and integrity systems, and enhancing institutional capacity to effectively address maladministration. The proposed reform therefore seeks to fully operationalize the Ethics and Sectoral Ombudsman Division, expand sectoral Ombudsman mechanisms, institutionalize ethics and integrity across public institutions, and strengthen citizen centred accountability systems to improve public service delivery and restore public confidence in government institutions