Why NGO board has frozen Kidero Foundation’s ‘illegal’ bank accounts
The board of a non-governmental organisation associated with Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has been suspended and the NGO’s bank accounts frozen as the regulator investigates it.
The Non-Governmental Organisations Coordination Board also gave The Evans Kidero Foundation two weeks to file audited accounts and annual returns of the past four years, failure to which it will be deregistered.
In a December 13 letter, NGO Coordination Board Executive Director Fazul Mahamed accused the foundation of opening and operating “illegal” bank accounts in contravention of Section 12 (4) of the NGOs Coordination Act and Clause 10 of the terms and conditions.
The foundation also failed to file statutory financial returns annually “on the aggregate of funds (and) donations, nature of the funds, donor identity, sources of fund, assets acquired and general operations of the foundation”, said Mr Mahamed.
THREATENED TO SUE
News of the probe was exclusively reported by the Nation and the foundation has threatened to sue, saying there were no such investigations.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the foundation, Mr Phillip Kungu Opondo, said they had not received the NGO’s suspension letter and refuted claims that they were running an illegal bank account.
He blamed Dr Kidero’s political opponents of spreading propaganda but said they were ready to answer any queries.
“We are not worried at all as we have nothing to hide about the running of the foundation,” said Mr Opondo.
“After we receive any queries from the NGOs board, we will answer them; but, as of now, we have not received any.”
Mr Opondo however admitted that the foundation has never filed tax returns and said their accountant was working with the relevant bodies to do so.
He nonetheless refuted claims that the foundation was holding huge amounts of money, saying that would have been detected by government agencies by now.
