Activities for the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) have been suspended with immediate effect by the NGO Coordination Board.
The Board’s Executive Director Mohammed Fazul noted that the decision was arrived at after findings that the NGO was involved in criminal activities.
“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,” stated Fazul in a letter dated October 5 and sent to IDLO Director General Irene Khan as quoted by the Star.
The Board asked Central Bank to freeze all accounts owned by the NGO.
“The Governor of Central Bank and the Director of Financial Reporting Centre are advised to immediately preserve any funds held under IDLO bank accounts until further communication from the undersigned.”
The suspension of IDLO by Fazul’s Board comes barely a month after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cut ties with the NGO in its Host Country Agreement.
Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohammed in her letter to IDLO cited that the country was cutting ties with the NGO for exerting undue influence on the Judiciary.
This also comes after the Supreme Court nullified August polls and ordered for fresh elections due on October 26.
Fazul directed Khan to obtain a certificate of registration to legalize IDLO’s status in the country but, he said “in the meantime, all IDLO operations in Kenya are hereby suspended with immediate effect.”