Whose interests do civil society organisations serve today?

By Fwamba NC Fwamba
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Recently, a section of the civil society protested against some provisions in the Bill that sought to amend the Public Benefits Organisations Act 2013. During the parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday December 4, the legislators rejected up to 13 provisions in the proposed miscellaneous amendment Bill 2013.

The small number of protestors and the specific individuals behind the non-governmental organisations (NGOSs) protest is informative enough that majority of Kenyans need transparency in the running of non-governmental organisations.

Those who raised the highest voices against the amendments were selfishly trying to avert exposure of their underhand NGO activities. The PBO Act 2013 is a pointer that the end to these fraudulent NGOs is nigh and time for compulsory transparency in the civil society is now here with us.

In early 1990s, Kenyans agitated for multiparty politics to provide more room for fair political competition and democratic expression. The agitation came in the wake of political repression and many detentions that had become very prominent in Kenya after the 1982 attempted coupe d’ tat.

The agitation for Kenya to move from a single party to a multiparty democracy was achieved in late 1991 when President Moi in a Kanu National delegates’ conference declared the repeal of the section 2a of the then Constitution of Kenya. This gave opportunity to other parties other than Kanu to be registered as a result, political parties like Ford-Kenya, Ford-Asili and the Democratic Party were registered.

Now, in 2013 and foreseeable future, all we see in the current set up of the civil society is greed and appetite for donor money without any conscience at play. The main claimants to Kenya’s civil society movement have turned it into a milk cow and would do anything including perpetrating malicious falsehoods at whatever cost to attract donor funding; a very radical opposite of the 1990s’ reform movement proponents who were mainly driven by the interests of Kenyans and national development.

While most of the activities of the 1990s’ pro-reform movement included public participation, the current self-styled civil society organisations are registered companies limited by guarantee operating covertly as family businesses.

The noisiest of these so-called civil society organisations are nothing but money-making ventures for individuals. Unlike the 1990s civil society operatives who relied on public goodwill to promote ideas and rally Kenyans, most of the current donor funded civil society organisations rely on making reports to impress the donors. Funding is given on the basis of how impressive a proposal is to the foreign donors, most who are western super powers. The donor funded NGOs are more of spying agencies for foreign governments. There is little transparency in how NGOs are funded or how they are run.

The Public Benefits Organisations miscellaneous amendment bill 2013 sought to make the NGOs accountable, just like we also hold individuals and the government accountable. The Bill would have created room for Kenyans to be informed and also have an opportunity to participate in the activities of NGOs of their choice.

The Bill will put to an end to the organisations that provide false information about the country in order to gain funds from foreign governments in total disregard to fairness and justice to those whose names are maliciously maligned in the false documentations that are aimed at impressing donors.

The Bill was an opportunity to promote the principle of equity and fairness in the bill of rights consistent with the provisions of our Constitution in article 27 clauses 6 and 7. The Bill should be re drafted to address serious issues that will ensure interests of ordinary Kenyans and the voices of grassroots non-governmental organisations are heard.

The writer is the leader of Kenya Young Voters Alliance