NGOs board summons Muhuri officials over finances

Muhuri Chairman Khelef Khalifa, one of the NGO’s officials summoned by the NGOs Co-ordination Board over claims of non-disclosure of the right information in its financial returns. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The officials are supposed to appear before the board’s investigations and enforcement committee on Monday.
  • Mr Fazul said his board is also disturbed by the human right organisation’s governance structure without giving further details.
  • Mr Khalifa said the summons were part of State scheme to silence dissenting voices.

The NGOs Co-ordination Board has summoned top leaders of Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) organisation over claims of non-disclosure of the right information in its financial returns.

The officials are supposed to appear before the board’s investigations and enforcement committee on Monday at 10am to explain why they provided false financial information.

Chairman Khelef Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer Hassan Abdille and Financial Manager Rahma Gulam were summoned to be grilled by the board’s committee, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) officials.

NGO Co-ordination Board Executive Director Fazul Mohammed Yusuf said his organisation will commence investigative and forensic audit after the appearance of the three Muhuri officials amid unspecified threats.

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

“Failure to honour these summons will invite legal consequences as against yourselves and your organisation to your peril as to costs and other incidentals,” he stated.

Mr Fazul claimed that Muhuri had not filed “the true reflection” of its finances in its returns for the past two years which he claimed also raised an eyebrow with the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and FRC.

“It would seem that your organisation has not been filing the true reflection of your finances which therefore raises doubts as to what other activities you are involved in,” said Mr Fazul.

He added: “Further to this, you must be well aware that furnishing the government with false information constitutes a penal offence punishable under the penal code.”

DISTURBED

Mr Fazul said his board is also disturbed by the human right organisation’s governance structure without giving further details.

However, Mr Khalifa dismissed the summons saying the NGO board is targeting him through Muhuri, an organisation he said has little control over its operations.

“I am the chairman and together with board members we formulate policies for the employees to implement. I don’t receive salaries or any other benefit from it,” said Mr Khalifa.

He said the summons were part of State scheme to silence dissenting voices adding that Muhuri is particularly targeted because of many election-related cases he and other human rights defenders filed in courts against the State.

“They are intimidating me through Muhuri. This is the same tactics used against other agencies. It is because of cases we filed at the High Court and Supreme Court. There is nothing but intimidations,” he added.