The NGO Co-ordination Board has reinstated 179 organisations deregistered last week.
That now leaves 346 organisations in the cold out of a total of 525 previously deregistered when the board took the action.
Those reinstated filed their audited accounts and paid the necessary fines for each year they did not comply.
The Nation learnt that the board met President Uhuru Kenyatta last week and he directed that the organisations be given an opportunity to comply and be reinstated.
The reinstatement also comes after the US government demanded answers from Kenya on the criteria used to deregister the NGOs.
The US government had said: “We urge the government of Kenya to ensure the regulation of NGOs is transparent, fair, and grounded in clear criteria that do not limit free expression, association, or assembly.”
PUBLIC OUTCRY
There has also been a lot of public outcry over the manner in which the NGOs were deregistered. The President alluded to that during the meeting with the board.
When contacted the head of the President’s Communication Unit Manoah Esipisu did not deny the meeting took place, only referring us to the chief executive of the board, and the foreign and interior ministries.
Board executive director Fazul Mahamed Yusuf said by Friday evening, 167 NGOs had been reinstated.
“The board has given them certificates of compliance and they have been reinstated. We are expecting more to follow suit this coming week. We are not after anybody, all we want is the due process to be followed,” Mr Fazul said by phone.
He said even those that were facing closure had come to his office to put their papers in order.
“The 2,000 NGOs we were investigating have already come to us to ensure everything is in order,” he said.
-nation.co.ke
