The Kenya government has “deregistered” more than 500 non-governmental organisations (NGO) for allegedly not complying with the law, following the passing of a controversial security bill last week.
In a statement announcing the closing of the NGOs, the government said,
“Some NGOs have been and continue to be used for criminal activities, including as conduits of terrorism financing in Kenya and in the Horn of Africa.”
Although it did not name any groups, 15 of those deregistered were accused of being linked to terrorism. The organisations were identified “in collaboration with security agencies both locally and internationally,” said the government.
Many of the organisations, which are reported to be mostly aid agencies and charities, were closed due to not having submitted financial audit returns.
Executive Director of the governments NGO Coordination BoardFazul Mahamed, said,
"The NGOs with accounting issues can only be allowed to operate if they successfully go through a thorough vetting process. Otherwise, they will remain deregistered indefinitely."
See our earlier post:Kenya passes controversial anti-terror bill (12 December 2014)
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
