New Reports on Kenyan NGO Law

The International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) on Thursday announced the release of two reports on the state of NGO law in Kenya.  The reports are the product of two experts in Kenya’s NGO sector; Rahma Adan Jillo of the NGOs Coordination Board, whose report is entitled NGO Law Reform in Kenya: Incorporating Best Practices; and Faith Kisinga of PACT International, whose report is entitled, The Process of Reviewing the NGO Coordination Act, 1990: A Step-by-Step Road Map.

Ms. Jillio’s report analyzes the current NGO Coordination Act in Kenya and compares it to NGO law in other parts of Africa.  She makes recommendations for new laws that she believes will “support a vibrant and accountable NGO sector.”  Specifically, Ms. Jillio asserts that the NGO Coordination Act was drafted without due consideration of best practices, despite NGOs’ significance in Kenya’s growing economy, and focuses on how international best practices can fill gaps in the current law. 

Ms. Kisinga’s report calls for a more inclusive reform process. She argues that broad participation by the various stakeholders in Kenya ’s NGO sector, such as NGOs, government agencies, parliament and the media, is vital to making new laws that will succeed.  To that effect, she proposes specific strategies for cultivating such participation. 

SS