Gov’t warns over 7,000 NGOs of de-registration over non-compliance

While officially launching the NGO Sector 2020/2021 Report on Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi stated that 9525 of the 11,890 registered NGOs are active, but only 3,000 have filed compliance reports.

Matiang'i praised the organizations as important partners in the Big 4 Agenda, civic awareness, and peacebuilding, and urged the board to grant a moratorium on reasonable terms to those who might seek it.

“We do not want to be unreasonable and hurt anyone. Those that do not turn up to seek a moratorium, those that turn up and disappear, or register but their records are not known should know that we have responsibility to the public,” stated the CS.

“We do not want to discover that we registered an organization being misused by terror groups masquerading as civil society organizations.”

Matiang'i further challenged them to allocate more funds to development projects, noting that currently, the bulk of their budgets is spent on salaries and other recurrents.

He similarly warned the NGOs against being used by politicians during the electioneering period to perpetuate instability.

“Guard your institutions against being used to engage in destructive acts to the security of our country. Do not be dragged along into partisan activities in the name of civic education and electoral participation,” the CS stated.