Burundi: Ombudsman

Updated May 2010

The Ombudsman is established by the Constitution Post-Transition de la Republique du Burundi (2005, Article 237) to investigate violations of civil rights by state officials.

Appointment

In terms of Article 239 the Ombudsman is appointed by the National Assembly with a three-quarters majority and the appointment must be ratified by the Senate with a two-thirds majority.

Term of office

Article 239 lays down a non-renewable term of six years for the Ombudsman.

Functions

The functions of the Ombudsman, as laid out in Article 237, are to:

• Receive and investigate complaints of managerial misdeeds and violations of civil rights made by public officers and make recommendations to the relevant authorities.
• Mediate between the public administration and citizens and the ministries and the administration and acts as watchdog by scrutinizing the operations of the administration.

Reporting

Article 238 requires that the Ombudsman presents an annual report to the National Assembly and the Senate that must be published in the official Bulletin of Burundi.

Reference

CONSTITUTION POST-TRANSITION DE LA REPUBLIQUE DU BURUNDI 2005 [www] http://www.chanrobles.com/burundi1.html [opens new window] (accessed 28 Apr 2010).