The Kenya Wildlife Service has been ordered to release information on snakebite deaths dating from 2022 to date.
In a statement by the Commission of Administrative Justice (CAJ), also known as the ombudsman, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the commission ordered the KWS Director General, Erustus Kanga, to release the information within 21 days.
According to the statement, failure to comply with the orders, the ombudsman will recommend criminal prosecution against Kanga in line with the constitution.
“The commission has ordered the Director General of KWS to release the information on the statistical summary of all snakebite-related deaths from 2022 to the date of the order within 21 days,” part of the statement read.
“In the event of non-compliance, the commission shall recommend criminal prosecution of the Director General in line with section 28 on Access to Information Act, 2016,” the statement added.
The commission revealed that the information is needed to help a Kenyan file a petition in the Senate regarding public health and administrative accountability.
The constitution gives the commission the power to call for information or a report regarding a complaint lodged with it from a public entity or private body.
According to reports, it was written to KWS in September 2025, requiring the Service to furnish the commission with its Institutional Report to enable the commission to make an appropriate decision on the application.
However, the commission stated that the response it got from KWS did not address the request for statistical information on snakebite-related deaths.
In its determination, the commission affirmed its jurisdiction to review KWS’s decision, eemphasisingthat public entities are legally required to maintain and disclose records upon request unless valid exemptions apply.
