NGOs want benefits Bill recalled

By RAWLINGS OTIENO

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) now want the proposed Public Benefits Organisation Amendment Bill that is currently before the parliament recalled.

International Policy Executive Director Fazul Mohammed said although they support the Bill, there are clauses in the proposed law that claw-back on the gains made in the NGO sector.

“We are in agreement that the proposed amendments are good, but we feel some of the clauses will be retrogressive if passed in its current form. We want the Bill to be recalled first and let’s give dialogue a chance,” said Fazul.

Speaking to the Press on the sidelines of the NGO consultative forum in Nairobi yesterday, Fazul said the Government should not limit the amount of money the organisations can get from donors.

The controversial sections are contained in the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2013, and amendments to the Public Benefits Organisations Act, 2013 (No 18 of 2013).

“A public benefit organisation shall not receive more than 15 per cent of its total funding from external donors,” state Section 27 A (2) of the Bill. On the other hand, section 27A (1) States: “Any funding of a public benefit organisation shall be made through the federation and not by an individual members’ organisation.”

The group also sees a sinister motive in the provision that all the money coming in as a donations should come through the proposed National Federation of NGOs, a body proposed to take over from the NGO Council.

“We fail to understand why the Government would want all the money to go through one entity. This should be amended,” added Fazul.