As various reviews on the functioning of a modern administrative state continue to highlight the persistent maladies of bureaucratism in the public sector realm. The establishment of ombudsman institutions, the world over, is given credence by the need to foster improved performance in public administration and enhance governmental accountability to the public in ways that nurture the ideals of good governance. This paper examines the role of Ombudsman institutions in the procurement of legal responsibilities and the promotion of good governance, elsewhere in the Commonwealth, but with particular case reference to Canada, South Africa and Uganda. It analyses compelling literature on the Ombudsman institutions' orientation, matters of regulatory and jurisdictional type, appointment. It also interrogates whether there is a standard that guides Ombudsman offices across. It is argued that, despite the varying legislative and jurisdic