Attacking anti-State NGOs ill advised and must stop

It is not surprising that the Non-Government Organisations Co-ordination Board is delisting civil society groups that have been critical of Government actions. To silence them, the Government is claiming these organisations are not registered. It is also accusing them of operating illegal bank accounts. Let us assume these allegations are true; the question then would be: Why has it taken the Government so long to take action against illegal entities? Or is there a time for us to operate illegal NGOs and a time for us to shut them down? The NGO board deregistered the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCog) because they questioned the credibility of the results of last week's presidential elections.

The two were also among NGOs that filed a petition challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in 2013. Let’s not forget the Government has also attacked other NGOs linked to Opposition leaders and their families including outgoing Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential running mate Kalonzo Musyoka and Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s daughter Rosemary. Some have been accused of tax-related offences. The worst part is that Fazul Mahamed, the man charged with the responsibility of cracking down on NGOs, was found unfit for the position of CEO by the Ombudsman in December 2016. The Jubilee administration leaders have been insincere about ensuring free and fair elections. They are encouraging those unhappy with the election results to go to court but when these NGOs decided to file petitions, they became victims of a witch-hunt.