By Dayo Yussuf
Last month, the Kenyan government warned non-governmental organisations that it said were not operating transparently and were not complying with the country’s regulations.
The Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration Raymond Omollo expressed concern that some NGOs were not open about their sources of funds and expenditure records.
Omollo who was speaking during the launch of the country’s Annual NGO Sector Report in Nairobi said he was appalled by the number of organisations that failed to submit their financial reports as required by law.
‘‘That is enough reason to infer that the culprits are involved in shady activities, including terrorism financing,’’ he alleged. He did not publicly mention any particular NGO.
Overstepping boundaries
Over the years, there have been occasional rifts between governments and foreign NGOs and ‘donor’ organisations in some African countries.
Some NGOs, both local and international, no doubt play vital roles in supporting socio-economic and political development of countries.
But in sometimes some of them, especially the foreign ones, are accused of overstepping their boundaries, interfering in internal affairs of their host countries and promoting certain agendas against the interests of those countries.
It is true that some NGOs are culpable when it comes to disrespecting national laws, the Chairperson of Kenya's National Council, Steven Cheboi said. The NGOs council is the umbrella body of all registered NGOs in the country.
‘‘We encourage our members to file annual returns. They should disclose their funding through filing of annual returns so they say this is how much they got and this is how they spent it,’’ Mr Cheboi tells TRT Afrika.
‘’When they don’t comply, it is understandable that someone will suspect them,’’ he adds.
Political question
However, Robert Muigai, human rights lawyer and consultant in Kenya says sometimes some government officials try to influence the activities of NGOs in their favour especially during political activities.
‘‘Some NGOs, particularly those operating in the political space, have suffered from interference by government that forced them to a screeching halt,’’ he says.
But the issue is not limited to Kenya. At the beginning of March this year, the government of the northeastern Nigerian state of Adamawa suspended all NGOs - both local and international – accusing some of them of political interference ahead of gubernatorial elections in the state.
“It has been discovered that most NGOs have swallowed the bug and are dabbling into politics in the name of providing humanitarian assistance to the people,’’ the state governor Ahmadu Fintiri said in a public address.
Cultural sensitivities
‘’Government cannot fold its arms and watch such so-called NGOs mislead the people and inject divisive tendencies into their psyche,’’ he added.
Tanzania also had issues with NGOs with the authorities revoking licences of over 4000 NGOs for what the government called ‘’non-compliance with financial regulations.’’
In Uganda and Kenya, there have been claims making the rounds that some foreign NGOs might be pushing for LGBTQ agenda under the guise of health support programs.
Most governments and communities across Africa have always kicked against any pro-LGBTQ agenda saying it is contrary to their cultural, traditional and religious norms and values.
‘’We have seen private citizens in Kenya as well as other societies criticise the registration of some NGOs in Kenya based on the notion that the such registration is against the collective moral fibre of the country and is a manifestation of external influence,’’ says Lawyer Muigai.
Bad apples
Despite the latest warning by the Kenyan government to '‘non-compliant'’ NGOs, Steven Cheboi believes the relationship between the authorities and non-governmental organisations is generally good.
‘‘Kenya is a good example of how NGOs work well with government. There may be a few bad apples, but majority are good,’’ he says.
‘‘We know there are things that are not in line with African culture. It is important that NGOs align their functions and projects with cultural and social norms in the countries,’’ he tells TRT Afrika.
Lawyer Muigai says while he objects to restrictive policies on NGOs, he believes the organisations must also respect the law.
‘‘Even though NGOs should be allowed to operate without undue influence, their functions must pass through various checks and balances that other entities also go through to ensure that NGOs are staying true to their cause,’’ he says.
