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Kenya

NGO Council opposes 15pc foreign funding cap

The council argues that some of the organisations are funded entirely from overseas, which would negatively affect their activities/FILE

The council argues that some of the organisations are funded entirely from overseas, which would negatively affect their activities/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 29 – The NGO Council says it is opposed to the proposed 15 percent foreign funding cap for Non-Governmental Organisations, but agrees there is need for accountability.

The council argues that some of the organisations are funded entirely from overseas, which would negatively affect their activities.

The council’s Chief Executive Officer Kevinnah Layatum however says they support the rest of the amendments to the Public Benefit Organisations Act saying they seek to nurture and encourage such organisations to reflect and work on national interests.

“NGOs receive monies on behalf of the public and just like the government, they should be accountable and transparent in their dealings more so where the annual inflows to such institutions amount to Sh300 billion annually,” she stated.

She explained that the proposed amendments to the PBO Act also seek, “to consolidate all registration and regulation of NGOs under one roof and establish a comprehensive and systematised regulatory framework for organisations carrying out public benefit activities.”

“This will bring discipline in the sector and provide the necessary information for effective planning and connected purposes.”

She was speaking during a public awareness forum on the proposed amendments on Wednesday.

Jeniffer Shamalla a facilitator of the forum said the requirement to have consolidated registration and reporting of Public Benefit Organisations is one way of improving the society’s management of the country security challenges.

The Miscellaneous Amendment Bill 2013, published on October 30, last year seeks to cap the amount of foreign funds NGOs can get to 15 percent of their budget.

The controversial sections are contained in the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2013 as amendments to The Public Benefits Organizations Act, 2013 (No. 18 of 2013).

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Section 27 A (2) states: “A public benefit organisation shall not receive more than 15 percent of its total funding from external donors.”

On the other hand, section 27A. (1) States: “Any funding of a public benefit organisation shall be made through the federation and not by an individual members’ organisation.”

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