The NGOs council has sharply faulted a fresh move by the national assembly to amend a law that will cut foreign funding of members.
The chief executive of NGOs council, Kevinnah Loyatum, yesterday said NGOs and the civil society groups heavily rely on Sh300 billion they receive yearly from international donors and that a move to limit the funding will cripple NGOs’ operations.
“The proposal to cut NGOs foreign funding is in bad faith and will adversely affect marginalised communities who depend on donor aid,” said Kevinnah.
He instead urged MPs to critically look at the benefits brought about by foreign donations into the country so as not to strangle NGOs’ humanitarian activities in the country.
The amendment bill the NGOs are opposed to was introduced to parliament by Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria who sought changes in the Public Benefits Organisation (PBO) Act.
If passed, the law will limit the funds an NGO would receive from international donors to not more than 15 percent of their budget.
However, Loyatum said that there is need to devise effective mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency in use of the funds once international donors remitted them.
“We have laid mechanisms in place, and we will continue to be more vigilant to ensure the money given by international donors is not misappropriated and those found culpable will be punished heavily,” she said.
She urged parliament to have the amendment suspended, saying that the proposed amendments were worse than amendments earlier opposed by NGOs and the civil society groups.
According to the NGO leadership, the amendments are also likely to put on the line the jobs of over 100,000 Kenyans employed by about 9,000 NGOs in the country, if allowed.
The national assembly’s first attempt to amend the PBO Act was in 2013, but it failed due to local and international pressure.
The law provides for the establishment and operation of public benefits organisations previously known as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).