BY SAM ALFAN.
The High Court has stopped the state on its stepped up monitoring of NGO now seen as malicious “interference.”
Justice John Mativo temporarily halted the NGO regulator from interfering with any activity by Katiba Institute.
Earlier today, Katiba through Institute lawyer Soyinka Lempaa asked the court to protect them from the government.
Katiba Institute wanted the court to stop NGO board from summoning and interfering with its operations pending hearing and determination of their case.
They say that the summon by their regulator is a violation of their fundamental rights.
Yesterday, together with other civil society organizations, Katiba institute vowed to ignore summons by the State regulator.
The NGOs are being accused of non-disclosure of their financial returns.
Officials of Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) and Katiba Institute on Monday said they would not appear before the NGO Coordination Board as the accusations were baseless.
In the petition filed today, Katiba Institute claims that the institute does not fall for regulation under the Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Act but the companies Act.
In an affidavit Yash Pal Ghai, Director Katiba Institute said that the NGO Board sent an email summoning it officials to the Boards Offices claiming that they had received complaints they could be involved in activities bordering on money laundering.
Katiba Institute wants the court to quash the boards summons and give a permanent order restraining the NGO board from unlawfully interfering in any way with its operations.
