NGO BUREAU RESTORES CONFIDENCE AMIDST MERGER WITH MINISTRY

Secretary at the National Bureau of Non-Governmental Organizations, Dr. Stephen Okello, at the Northern Uganda CSOs conference in Arua.

By Sabir Musa

Arua

The Secretary at the National Bureau of Non-Governmental Organizations, Dr. Stephen Okello, has clarified that all applications made before the merger with the Ministry will be processed.

This clarification comes after the bureau's functions were moved to the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the Department of NGOs, but some organizations feared for the fate of their applications.

The Secretary allayed fears, stating that all the applications that were made before the merger will be processed and completed once the department fully becomes operational.

"I also want to emphasize one fact that the amendments has not affected any application, if you had made any application of an NGO, be sure that they are they and will be worked on, whether your certificates or permits." he said.

On September 27, 2024, the Minister of Internal Affairs signed Statutory Instrument No. 73, and the NGO Bureau was dissolved; its functions moved to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

These functions include registering, regulating, monitoring, inspecting, coordinating, and overseeing all NGO operations in the country.

However, the Programs Manager at Chapter Four Uganda, Anthony Masake, appeals that the registration process of organizations should be made easier and more transparent.

"I think it's also not transparent, because of those two recommendations letters. The NGO bureau has kindly published the list of things that you need to prepare which is commendable, but when you start following up, that's when you discover that things are not that transparent," Anthony said.

With the merger of agencies in the country, the government hopes to reduce expenses, improve service delivery, and give clear accountability to the citizens.