Task Force Launched to Drive Reforms and Modernize Public Trustee Services 



Attorney General, Dorcas Oduor Speaking to the press during a media briefing in Nairobi on Friday 26, 2026

By Fride Amiani 


Attorney General Orders Nationwide Audit of Public Trustee Files to Fast-Track Succession Reforms

Attorney General Dorcas Oduor has directed a comprehensive nationwide audit of all files under the Public Trustee Department, including long-pending succession cases, in a move aimed at improving estate administration and rebuilding public confidence in the institution.

The directive was issued during the launch of a four-month task force established under Gazette Notice No. 8767 of June 12, 2026. The team has been mandated to oversee the institutional transformation of the Public Trustee Department and review Kenya's succession framework.

Speaking at the Office of the Attorney General, Oduor said the audit will cover files held at both the department's headquarters and regional offices to establish the number of pending cases, determine how long they have remained unresolved and identify the causes of the delays.

She instructed officials to immediately conclude cases that require minimal intervention through a Rapid Results Initiative, noting that straightforward succession matters should not remain pending alongside more complex disputes.

"Kenyans have come to my office with files that are older than their children. Widows have waited years for distribution that, in a functional system, should have taken months. That is not acceptable, and it will not continue," she said.

Oduor emphasized that the Public Trustee Department performs a critical legal function by administering estates of people who die without wills, managing trusts, protecting the property of minors and safeguarding the assets of persons of unsound mind.

She added that courts also appoint the department to manage disputed estates and preserve property until lawful beneficiaries are identified, making integrity, efficiency and accountability essential to its operations.

The Attorney General noted that although the Public Trustee Act establishes the office as a corporate body with powers to own property, enter contracts and institute or defend legal proceedings, it has continued to function as a department within the Office of the Attorney General.

According to Oduor, this arrangement has contributed to bureaucratic inefficiencies, weakened accountability and gradually undermined public trust in the institution.

She further stated that the task force will review the country's succession laws to address persistent delays in the administration of estates, even in cases where beneficiaries are in agreement.

Describing the Public Trustee as one of Kenya's oldest public service institutions, Oduor said it has, for more than a century, played a vital role in protecting estates and trusts, preserving the inheritance of vulnerable beneficiaries and ensuring property is not lost through exploitation or prolonged delays.

Task force chairperson Linda Murila said the review reflects the government's commitment to strengthening public institutions and enhancing service delivery within the justice sector.


She explained that the team will assess the department's legal, administrative and operational structures, strengthen governance systems, promote the use of technology and recommend reforms that will improve efficiency and ensure long-term financial sustainability.


Murila said the task force will consult government ministries and agencies, the Judiciary, the Law Society of Kenya, professional associations, civil society organizations and members of the public before presenting practical recommendations.

The review forms part of the Office of the Attorney General's Strategic Transformation Agenda 2024–2027, which seeks to improve access to justice through decentralization of legal services, digital transformation, ethical governance and greater public participation.

The reforms also build on earlier modernization efforts introduced in April, when Public Trustee services were integrated into the e-citizen platform to enhance access to services and streamline the administration of estates and trusts under the government's broader digital transformation agenda.

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