The Freedom of Information Bill, 2012
medium, an the applicant shall provide –
(a) contains details; and
(b) sufficient particulars for the public officers or any other
official to understand what information is being requested.
(2) A public officer who receives an oral application shall,
subject to section 25, reduce the application to writing, including
the officer’s name and designation, and shall give a copy thereof
to the applicant.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1), an application may, if the
applicant is unable to communicate in English or Kiswahili, be
made in any other local language in use in Kenya, and in such
event the public officer to whom the application is made shall
arrange for a translation of the application to English or
Kiswahili.
(4) Where an application to access information does not comply
with subsection (1), the public officer who receives the
application shall, subject to section 30, render such reasonable
assistance, free of charge, as may be necessary to enable the
application to comply with that subsection.
(5) An application referred to in subsection (4) shall not be
deemed to have been rejected while assistance is being rendered.
(6) A public authority may not inquire into a person’s identity on
account of an application to access any information, or inquire as
to the purpose of the person’s application.
(7) A public authority may prescribe a form for making an
application to access information, but any such form shall not be
such as to unreasonably delay requests or place an undue burden
upon applicants and no application may be rejected on the ground
only that the applicant has not used the prescribed form.
(8) A public authority which receives an application to access
information shall provide the applicant with a receipt
documenting the application.
Processing of application.
30. (1) Subject to section 31, a public officer shall make a decision on
an application as soon as possible, but in any event, within fifteen
working days of receipt of the application;
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