ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Kenzhegul Seitzhan as the new Ombudsperson for the Rights of Socially Vulnerable Categories of the Population.
Seitzhan replaced Svetlana Zhakupova, the ombudsperson since June last year.
Born in 1982, Seitzhan graduated from the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with a degree in law and economics. He underwent courses in Japan and studied the English language at the City University of New York. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Reading (United Kingdom) in Education (Leadership and Management).
Seitzhan is Kazakhstan’s champion in goalball (2017, 2019) and in paracycling (2021, 2022, 2022.)
In 2022, Seitzhan won the first bronze in the history of Kazakhstan in para-cycling at the Asian Road Cycling Championship.
Since March last year, he has been the deputy of the Mazhilis, a lower house of the Kazakh Parliament.
The main goal of the ombudsperson is to ensure the rights and protect legitimate interests of socially vulnerable categories of the population and restore their rights and freedoms in cooperation with state and public institutions.
The ombudsperson for the rights of socially vulnerable categories of the population is a new position proposed by President Tokayev in his state-of-the-nation address in September 2022 as an essential position in creating a just and fair Kazakhstan. The decree was signed in March last year, stating that the person holding this office carries out activities voluntarily.
