Audio By Vocalize
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration, through their official X handle, posted that all NGOs that have not transitioned to the new Public Benefits Organisations (PBO) regulations framework are required to review the prescribed requirements and submit the necessary information and supporting documents to facilitate re-registration.
The deadline is May 13, 2026; failure to which the legal status of these organisations. It is recalled that the High Court vide a Judgment delivered on April 25, 2025 by Justice Bahati Mwamuye, held that paragraph 5(1) and 5(2) of the Fifth schedule of the Public Benefits Organisations (PBO) Act, 2013 requiring mandatory fresh re-registration of organisations previously registered under the now repealed NGOs Coordination Act was unconstitutional for violating Articles 36 3 (a) and (b), 47 and 27 (4) of the Constitution.
It is equally noted that this High Court decision has been challenged before the Court of Appeal, where, through a consent order, the only portion of the High Court decision that was stayed pending the decision of the appellate court was in relation to the composition and authority of the Public Benefits Organisations Authority board (PBORA). The authority was allowed to carry on its functions other than the quasi-judicial component.
Requiring organisations to re-register is in contravention of an existing court decision, which is yet to be overturned, thus pushing for an illegality. From the decision, it was stated that such organisations are to automatically be transitioned and issued with the requisite registration documents.
The Ministry states that the re-registration is to be done under the PBO regulations gazetted on March 18, 2026. The regulations are not independent of the parent Act; they complement it; thus, they cannot be implemented distinctively from the Act. Purporting to direct such organisations to be registered owing to the gazetted regulations is thus an illegality and falsehood that should not be condoned.
The Ministry needs to be reminded that adherence to court orders and decisions is not selective; it is mandatory within a functioning democracy. Of concern has been the blatant disregard of court decisions, especially by the Executive, as in the present case.
It needs to be remembered that such decisions are not issued in vain; they are to preserve Constitutionalism, the rule of law, and the safeguard of guaranteed rights and freedoms within society.
The Court of Appeal did not stay the decision, finding the mandatory re-registration of NGOs, as such, the holding of this requirement remains unconstitutional. A question that needs a response is where the Ministry is deriving its mandate to request organisations to re-register.
We are headed into the election period, a time where human rights violations occur, thus the need for documentation of the same for redress, which is mostly by human rights organisations, the majority of which are registered under the repealed NGOs Act.
A great concern is that the Executive, through the Ministry, may indicate that such organisations are not in compliance with the PBO Act and Regulations, thus their legal standing has been extinguished, hence creating a significant challenge.
In the past, we have witnessed the potential abuse of this law, in 2024 following the Gen Z protests, 16 organisations accused of financing the protests were stated not to be compliant with the PBO Act, despite a lack of regulations at the time. The potential abuse and misuse of this law and directive remains of concern and cannot be ignored.
The decision by the High Court has not been overturned, particularly on the subject of re-registration, hence it should be respected. Any organisation that will equally purport to comply with this directive will be contributing towards an illegality.
The Ministry should adhere to the court decision, where amendments to the law need to be made for compliance with the said decision; the same is to be actioned for effective implementation of the law. Directing the re-registration of NGOs is illegal and should not be implemented as it is.
-The writer is a research and advocacy advisor at Defenders Coalition
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