Makau Mutua-linked NGO shut down by gov’t

The government has suspended all activities of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in Kenya and directed it to close down its offices in the country with immediate effect.

In a letter seen by Citizen Digital, the NGOs Co-ordination Board Executive Director, Fazul Mohamed, has asked Central Bank Governor, Dr Patrick Njoroge and the Director of the Financial Reporting Centre to freeze all bank accounts linked to IDLO.

Fazul claims IDLO, which is associated with Professor Makau Mutua, has been re-directing funds from donors to other uses which he describes as “nefarious operations”.

“The Board has noted and takes great umbrage that IDLO has over the years been receiving funds directed towards achieving its alleged charitable objectives. We have, however, noticed that these funds have been deployed to nefarious operations neither within your objectives nor towards charitable interventions,” Fazul stated in a notice dated October 5, 2017.

“The Board, therefore, directs that you must seek to obtain a certificate of registration under section 10 of the NGOs Coordination Act 1990 to acquire the requisite legal status to enable you to operate in Kenya. In the meantime, all IDLO operations in Kenya are hereby suspended with immediate effect.”

This comes days after the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on September 13 revoked the privileges and immunities conferred to IDLO, which has worked in Kenya for the last eight years.

Professor Makau Mutua is the chairman of IDLO’s board of advisors.

IDLO was working closely with the Judiciary on programmes around the handling of election disputes and has been instrumental in pushing for Judicial reforms in Kenya.

After the August 8 General Election, the NGOs Coordination Board de-registered the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC)  and the Africa Centre for Governance (AfriCOG) accusing them of engaging in illegal activities.