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{
    "id": 242885,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/242885/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 273,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Ochilo-Ayacko",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 347,
        "legal_name": "Ochilo George Mbogo Ayacko",
        "slug": "ochilo-ayacko"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this wonderful debate. I want to thank the Minister for coming forth and proposing Sessional Paper No.1 of 2006, whose objective is to regulate the NGOs. Although the Minister is brand new in that Ministry, his effort to bring this Sessional Paper is a starring score on his performance as a Minister. The responsibility of providing services, developing this country and ensuring that laws are obeyed squarely falls on the Government. Any entity that wishes to share in that responsibility must be regulated and must be obedient to the laws and norms that obtain in a particular country. If a country has not put regulations in place, that is negligence of the highest order on the part of that country. So, hon. Shakombo has done a wonderful job in proposing to bring regulation that will take care of the activities of NGOs. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, most development partners opt to participate in the development of this country through funding the NGOs. Suspicion has been there in the past about the correct utilisation of funds by the Government and so, most of the funds are channelled through the NGOs. Those funds are intended for the benefit of the Kenyan public without discrimination. So, the Kenyan public through their Government, must regulate funds that are destined for their welfare. Today, we are enabling the Minister to bring a legislation that will ensure that the services that NGOs desire to offer in this country are known and are offered in the right quantity and quality to ensure that the welfare of every individual is taken care of. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, most of the funds that are brought into this country do not reach their destinations. They do not reach their destinations because, first, the persons and organisations through which such funds are given are not compelled to disclose when such funds are given out, and for what reasons they are given. The secrecy with which funds are given has occasioned denial of services to the public who deserve them. The Minister must first ensure that his proposed legislation will enjoin all the NGOs to make themselves known and criminalise the non-disclosure of their funders. One of the areas where we have had problems is in the dispensation of money that was given to the National AIDS Control Council (NACC). Many NGOs made noise that if this money was channelled through the public institutions, it would end up in private pockets. So, we insisted that the money should be channelled through NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs). Today, everybody is aware that 90 per cent of this money cannot be accounted for, not by the Government, but by these organisations that surreptitiously tiptoed to the various Ministries and collected this money. They 2108 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 13, 2006 unfolded thereafter. In my district, we were being treated to a tale that about Kshs44 million had been given. I can assure you that I do not know where that Kshs44 million went to or who benefitted from it. Presently, when I ask the NGOs and the CBOs to show up for a meeting to tell me what they have been doing with the money, there is deafening silence. It is very important that we know these NGOs, and the personalities who are working for them so that we can dialogue with them from time to time."
}