 |
| PS Raymond Omollo |
Amid increased vigilance against illegal money flows, the government is mandating that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) submit their yearly accounts and disclose their funding sources.
Raymond Omollo, the principal secretary for interior, referred to it as concerning on Monday that just 31% of the 12,162 NGOs registered in the nation had submitted their reports for the 2021/22 financial year.
Dr. Omollo referred to the low levels of adherence as “unacceptable” at the launch of the Annual NGO Sector Report 2021–2022, which provides information on the activities carried out by NGOs during the fiscal year. He added that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that those responsible are engaged in dubious activities, such as financing terrorism.
He advised the participants in the industry, “You must embrace transparency in your funding sources as well as expenditures.”
“Your commitment to ethical behaviour should be evident in your financial records, which should serve as an open declaration of your character.”
Organisations must reciprocate and fulfil their commitments as a demonstration of their dedication to the principles that underlie the path of real service to mankind, according to Omollo, while the government works to create an environment that is favourable for the sector’s players to grow.
“You, as the ambassadors of change, must repay the faith placed in you by making sure that all of our legal and regulatory frameworks are followed to the letter. As the first crucial step towards assuring accountability, transparency, and legitimacy in their activities, those who haven’t yet registered must also formally establish their position, ” he added.
According to the Non-Governmental Organisations Co-ordination Act, each NGO must submit an annual report outlining the activities it carried out throughout the fiscal year.
According to the report, the NGO sector in Kenya spent a total of Ksh. 185.5 billion during the fiscal year, of which Ksh. 118 billion went towards project execution, Ksh. 49.7 billion went towards employee benefits, Ksh. 18.4 billion went towards administrative expenses and Ksh. 4.4 billion went towards tangible assets.
A total of 9,794 groups, or 80% of all NGOs collectively registered by the Board, were active, according to the study.
Furthermore, 3,005 NGOs that submitted their yearly reports said that they employed 71,096 individuals while getting Ksh. 175.9 billion and Ksh. 185.5 billion.