Jinja halts NGO registration

 By Doreen Musingo

SECURITY officials in Jinja have suspended the vetting and awarding of licenses to non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The move is part of measures to avoid "briefcaseâ" organisations in the district.

Sam Kidoma, the officer in charge of NGOs in the office of the district internal security officer, said most organisations present convincing proposals and objectives, but fail to implement them.

Kidoma made the remarks during a security meeting with leaders of NGOs at the district council hall on Wednesday.

He regretted that NGOs, which, he said, were meant to be associates of the Government, instead divert their interests due to huge sums of money they receive from funders abroad.

“They present objectives aimed at helping the needy including orphans and street children, but after getting approval, they instead provide for their relatives, leaving out the intended beneficiaries,” Kidoma said.

He added that such organisations use vulnerable children as bait to solicit support from funding agencies.

Kidoma said many briefcase NGOs had come up with objectives of rehabilitating and taking care of street children, but surprisingly, the number of children on the streets increases daily.

He added that five organisations in the district were facing closure for deviating from their objectives.

“Many of them lack office space and documentation about people they claim to be supporting. When you pay them an impromptu visit, you find them operating from their homes. Some present their own children as the needy under their care,” Kidoma observed.

He stressed the need by the organisations to give copies of their accountabilities and number of beneficiaries to the district authorities.

Kidoma warned that organisations which defy the requirements would be disqualified.

During the meeting, representatives of NGOs resolved how to handle major issues affecting children in their respective communities.



Jinja halts NGO registration