Internal affairs ministry to soon start supervising NGOs

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The Ministry of Internal Affairs will soon start overseeing the operations of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) after President Yoweri Museveni gave his assent to a new law on Monday, July 15.

The Non-Governmental Organisations (Amendment) Act, 2024 returns the mandate of the National Bureau of NGOs to the ministry like it was the case before it (board) was created in 2016. 

This is one of the 19 enacted Bills the President signed into law on Monday to give effect to the cabinet policy of rationalising government agencies and public expenditure to facilitate efficient and effective service delivery. 

What now remains is for the line minister to announce when the new law will come into force. 

However, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the MPs during the consideration of the NGO Bill that the new law would come into force as soon as possible.

The mandate of the NGO Bureau, which is currently a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is to register, regulate, monitor, inspect, coordinate and oversee all NGO operations in the country.

The bureau will now become a department in the ministry and will be headed by a secretary under the supervision of the ministry’s permanent secretary.

Nyabushozi County MP Wilson Kajwengye, who doubles as the chairperson of the parliamentary committee on defence and internal affairs, said while passing the Bill on April 23, 2024, that scrapping the NGO Board would save the government from accumulating arrears of up to sh1.1b.

“The non-tax revenue collected from NGO registration will also be mainstreamed into the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” he told the House.

Asuman Basalirwa, the Bugiri Municipality MP, also weighed in on the debate, arguing that getting information or renewal of licenses from the NGO Board was “extremely difficult”.

“Even basic things are being a challenge, I do not think its stay is justified,” he said.