Ombudsman urges action on Khama

The Ombudsman says that Parliament has never debated any of his reports since his office was established. In his current annual report, the Ombudsman, Ofentse Lepodisi says that it is important that Parliament acts on his recommendations to help allay fears that his office is a toothless bulldog. He suggests that perhaps a Parliamentary Select Committee for the Ombudsman should be created to deal specifically with reports and recommendations from his office. He says such a committee will provide a watchdog role on the performance of the Ombudsman. "Such performance would be reviewed from time to time as it may be necessary to ensure that the citizenry gets good value for the money spent to fund the institution," he says.

In a past report, the Ombudsman faulted Khama for piloting military aircraft after he retired as a soldier. At the time, President Festus Mogae defended the decision to let his deputy pilot the aircrafts, citing presidential powers.