NGOs warned against being partisan

National Bureau for NonGovernmental Organisations executive director Stephen Okello has warned NGOs against taking part in partisan politics.

"Under section 44 of the NGO Act, NGOs are not supposed to engage in politics. They can engage in political processes, such as conducting civic education, election monitoring, but not directly engaging in active politics,"Okello said.

He made the remarks during the handover ceremony of motorcycles to 10 District NGO monitoring committees.

Okello directed that individuals in NGOs must draw the line between becoming partisan or supporting a political party or fundraising for a political party or candidate contesting for election. Okello said over the 30-years period, many NGOs have closed down just because they lacked capacity.

"The moment we empower the people who spend more time with them at the grassroots together with the beneficiaries, then we are also trying to make them more effective," he said.

He said other NGOs end up doing the wrong things. He added that if they have a team, which has the capacity to monitor what they are doing, they will be more effective He said the bureau is currently focusing on building the capacity of NGOs through strengthening monitoring to ensure that they know what they are supposed to do.

"Many NGOs are voluntarily formed. However, many close because they do not know what exactly they are supposed to do. So, our empowerment is more about the district NGO monitoring committee and the NGOs themselves because if they are effective, they are also making the NGO bureau more effective," he said.

The 10 motorcycles, procured with support from the development partners, will benefit the 10 pioneer districts — Soroti, Kabarole, Mbarara, Moroto, Nebbi, Kumi, Kapchorwa, Ntungamo, Kitgum and Rukungiri.

Rukungiri district Chief Administrative Officer Elias Byamungu said the motorcycle will help in strengthening co-ordination of NGOs in the district.

He, however, said most NGOs do not reveal their budgets, which he said, as a district, they have to ensure that such an NGO shows accountability to the people they intend to serve.

"These motorcycles will be used by the co-ordinators to move around the district to check what the NGOs are doing on a quarterly basis. This will determine whether to renew their licence or not," he said