HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 242881,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/242881/?format=api",
"text_counter": 269,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Bahari",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 156,
"legal_name": "Abdul Bahari Ali Jillo",
"slug": "bahari-ali-jillo"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this debate. From the onset, I want to thank the Minister for bringing this Sessional Paper to the House. As Mr. Wetangula said, this Sessional Paper has come at the right time, given the number of NGOs that have come up in this country in all manner of faces. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I must admit that in the marginal areas, NGOs have played a very critical role in bridging the gap of needs, particularly given that the Government has neglected those areas. During emergency situations, NGOs have been very handy in addressing such situations, whereas the Government has been very lax. On many occasions in the past, even when Government Departments fell short of funds, particularly in marginal areas, they have been facilitated by NGOs. That has been quite welcome. NGOs have been very useful in this respect. Therefore, I hope that as we try to regulate this sector, which I think is necessary, we will be very objective and that the intention will not be to victimise any NGO. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must strike a balance between proper regulation and biased regulation, where we want to emasculate NGOs. That balance has to be found through this Sessional Paper. If we want balanced development or growth in this country, we must promote the civil society in a very positive way. We do not want to get to the old times where the Government would hit NGOs very hard, just for the sake of it, because perhaps, they do not approve the way the Government of the day is governing. So, I hope this will be done very objectively. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, at the same time, accountability of funds and activities of NGOs is very critical for any public administration. I believe that these are the issues the Minister has tried to address in this Sessional Paper. We know of many NGOs where there has been complete lack of accountability and a lot of wastage of donor funds. As has been said before, most NGOs waste a lot of their resources on matters that do not add value to the lives of Kenyans, and yet they obtain those resources in the name of supporting poor Kenyans. It is for this reason that the Minister should move with speed and ensure that there is proper regulation of NGOs operating in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, many times, those who take charge of local NGOs have tended to ignore everybody, including members of the public whom they purport to represent. July 13, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2103 They have tended to use resources for their own personal use. Therefore, there must be a regulation to compel NGOs to use their funds and other materials for the intended purposes. The issue of accountability is very critical. Many times, NGOs have tended not to be transparent or accountable. At the same time, they pretend to be the first ones to build capacity of the communities in their particular areas of operation. A number of NGOs have been established and started projects which they abandon as soon as the communities' attention has been drawn to the projects. This is because we do not put measures in place to ensure sustainability. A number of projects have failed and do not help communities. That is why I strongly support the Sessional Paper. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}