Govt starts verification of NGOs

KAMPALA- Government has started the verification process of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the country.

According to the minister of internal affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, the validation exercise will commence from August 8 to September 7.

"All NGOs with either expired permits or who have never registered with the NGO Bureau, in accordance to section 31 (1) of the NGO Act 2016, are not supposed to operate in any part of the country," he said.

The national NGO register indicates that there are 14, 207 registered NGOs, out of which 3,810 have valid permits.

Odongo said in a statement that 10, 397 NGOs are operating illegally.

This is the first time since 1989 that Government is verifying NGOs across the country.

"Some NGOs that are ignorant of the law think that possession of a certificate of registration allows them to operate freely without any requirement to renew. Some are confidently operating on forged documents," he said, emphasizing that all NGOs should take note of the validation exercise, which kicks-off today.