According to data shared by 16 agencies, including the President’s Office, there were 1,249 political appointees as of July.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has withheld information regarding the number of political appointees at the ministry, despite multiple requests under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Mihaaru News approached all ministries, following the President’s Office’s directive to seek such details directly from ministries. While most ministries disclosed the requested information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has failed to do so.
Mihaaru News filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office following which the ministry had said that the information will be provided during hearings on the issue. However, the Commissioner's Office ruled that the information must be disclosed within five days, by October 30.
Although the ministry has failed to provide the information by the deadline, they have not provided an explanation on the matter as well.
After a second request was submitted, the ministry again failed to meet the deadline. Mihaaru News has since referred the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is now conducting hearings to obtain details on the ministry’s political appointees.
According to data shared by 16 agencies, including the President’s Office, there were 1,249 political appointees as of July.
The President’s Office had earlier said that it will cap the number of political appointees at 700.
Four ministries have yet to disclose their figures.
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