The government of Kenya has asked all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country to file their annual returns and declare their source of funding as a measure to heighten Kenya’s vigilance against illicit financial flows.

Development Diaries reports that the government made the demand following a damning report that barely 30 percent of the 12,162 NGOs registered in the country filed their returns in the 2021–2022 financial year.

According to the report, the NGO sector in Kenya spent a total of Sh 185.5 billion in the period. It noted that Sh 118 billion was pumped into project implementation, Sh 49.7 billion for personnel emoluments, Sh 18.4 billion for administration costs and Sh 4.4 billion on tangible assets.

About 3,005 NGOs that filed their annual reports reported receiving KES 175.9 billion and employed 71,096 people.

Kenya’s Interior Principal Secretary, Raymond Omollo, said the failure of NGOs to file their financial return is unacceptable, adding that it is enough reason to infer that the culprits are involved in shady activities.

‘You must embrace transparency in your funding sources as well as expenditure’, Omollo said during the launch of the Annual NGO Sector Report in Nairobi.

‘You, as the torch bearers of change, must reciprocate the trust bestowed upon you by ensuring total compliance with our legal and regulatory frameworks.

‘Those that have not yet registered must also formalize their status as the first critical step towards ensuring accountability, transparency, and legitimacy in their operations’.

He also emphasised the need for NGOs in the country to leverage the wide network presented by National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) to decentralise their operations to the grassroots for maximum impact on the communities they serve.

Photo source: Raymond Omollo