Turkana County government has pledged to support the enforcement of compliance to the Public Benefit Organizations (PBOs) Act that come to force in May 2024.
Deputy Governor Dr John Erus made the commitment during a meeting with officials of the Public Benefit Organizations Regulation Authority (PBORA), on a courtesy visit to his office.
The team is currently in Turkana for a public participation exercise on regulations proposed by the PBORA to streamline implementation of the Act.
“For a county like Turkana where NGOs have been running operations on nearly all sector, regulations will promote accountability, reduce duplication of efforts and create room for more structured partnership,” said Erus.
Adding that the county had passed a resolution requiring all PBOs working with the County Government to sign formal MoUs. Erus emphasised that the move was part of enforcing compliance to the existing legal frameworks including the ones provided for by the PBO Act of 2024.
According to the Act and the proposed regulations, PBOs are expected to register and, submit regular reports to the authority.
Head of the PBORA team Nzioka Ndeti, who also serves as a director and Board member, said that Turkana was the seventh county the organization had visited for the public participation exercise.
“After Turkana, we are scheduled to visit more counties and end with Nairobi. To us, Turkana is an important stop due to the high concentration of PBOs involved in development and humanitarian works, Ndeti explained.
In Turkana, a recent survey conducted by the Directorate of Partnerships and Donor Coordination housed in the office of the Deputy Governor, revealed that more than 100 PBOs were operating in Turkana.
