Kenya Human Rights Commission Chairman Prof Makau Mutua has dismissed its deregistratioin by the NGOs Coordination Board.
The NGO regulator accuses the rights commission of misusing Sh1.2 billion.
On Monday, the NGO Coordination Board Executive Director, Fazul Mahamed, wrote to Prof Mutua informing him that KHCR had flouted the law by evading tax worth Sh100 million from October last year, misused billions of shillings and had hired foreigners without proper work permits. At the same time, Fazul asked the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to freeze all account operated by KHRC.
But in a twitter response Makau Mutua said the NGO board has no authority to delist KHCR.
“Fazul has no legal authority to deregister the KHRC. High Court last year rejected these false charges and ordered him to cease and desist,” Makau tweeted.
In the letter to the commission, Fazul accused it of running four illegal bank accounts, two of the accounts at NIC and others at the Commercial Bank of Africa.
In a press statement, KHRC condemned the de-registration as an act of intimidation rather than enforcement of the law.
KHRC revived the issue of Fazul academic qualifications and questionable conduct as the NGOs Board Executive Director.
Fazul has been in court trying to block the implementation of a report by the Ombudsman indicating he used a forged certificate to get employed at the the NGO regulator.
In May High Court Judge George Odunga declined to issue temporary orders, saying that it would be a violation of rules of natural justice.
KHRC was registered in Kenya as an NGO in 1994 and has been on frontline in enhancing human rights. Members of the KHRC board are Maina Kiai, Godwin Murunga, Muthoni Wanyeki, Devinder Lamba and Father Gabriel Dolan.
In another controversial move, Fazul has written to the Director of Criminal Investigations, Ndegwa Muhoro, seeking to stop another NGO, AfriCOG’s, operations until it is registered. CBK has also been asked to freeze Africa Centre for Open Governance’s bank accounts.
Maina Kiai, Gladwell Otieno (Executive Director), John Githongo, Stella Chege, Donald Deya and Funi Olonlsakin.
Just before the August 8 polls, AfriCOG had asked the courts to compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to open up the voters register for public scrutiny.
-standardmedia.co.ke
