Over 11,200 NGOs registered in Kenya received a total of Ksh166bn in 2018/19, with 88% of these funds originating outside of Kenya revealed NGO Sector Annual Report for 2018/19. The Report, launched on 28 January by the Government of Kenya, UNDP and the NGO Coordination Board of Kenya, in Nairobi showed that NGOs remained engaged in a number of initiatives that support the national development priorities, including implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the national ‘Big Four’ agenda.

Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security in Kenya, Dr. Fred Matiang’i, officially launched the Report in the presence of representatives from the Government of Kenya, members of the Diplomatic Corps,  representatives from UN Agencies, civil society, and the private sector. CS Dr. Matiang’i noted that Kenya would not be where it was today without non-State actors’ contribution. Dr. Matiang’i reaffimed government's commitment to strengthening the partnership with the NGO sector, and explore avenues for more engagements, as it was a critical stakeholder for national development.

Dr Matiang’i used the opportunity to recommit to gazetting the commencement of the Public Benefits Organizations (PBO) Act (2013) as soon as consultations with the relevant government agencies were concluded.

Principal Secretary, State Department of Interior of the Ministry of Interior Dr. Karanja Kibicho, and Acting UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya, Mandisa Mashologu, both spoke on the importance of partnership and the opportunities ahead for NGO-State cooperation in Kenya.Despite Report highlighting significant progress and growth in the NGO sector, it also indicates room for improvement, especially in State-NGO coordination.

The Annual Report was developed through support from UNDP as part of the Amkeni Wakenya project, and funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN). During the occasion, the NGO Board also launched its strategic plan 2020-2022, which provides broad guidance on the discharge of the regulatory, capacity development and coordination mandate of the organization.

Amkeni Wakenya is UNDP’s flagship Civil Society Organization (CSO) facility, which provides grants to CSOs targeted marginalized counties and groups. Since its inception, Amkeni has provided support to over 400 CSOs across Kenya; grant recipients range from grassroots community-based organisations (CBOs) to medium and large-sized CSOs/NGOs. Amkeni’s current focus is on supporting CSOs to provide legal aid and assistance to the poor and marginalized through interventions such as paralegalism and capacity building on human rights-based approaches.

The launch event also acted as the beginning of the UNDP-supported NGOs Week, an event whereby NGOs will host exhibitions at KICC and participate in topical roundtable discussions, such as the future of sustainable NGO financing.