The Minister of Internal Affairs, Prof Ephraim Kamuntu, has revealed that government is set to reopen a number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) that were suspended at the beginning of this year, with the first group expected to resume operations within the next two weeks.
“Regarding the suspended organisations, I have directed the NGO Bureau to handle the affected organisations on a case-by-case basis and establish a clear path towards resolving the matter” he said.
He added, “I have also set a two-week timeline, starting from today, for the reopening of organisations whose issues have been resolved”.
Prof Kamuntu, made the remarks during the quarterly dialogue meeting between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, government ministries, departments and agencies, and leaders of civil society organisations held in Kampala on Tuesday.
The move which will see at least 10 NGO’s resume operations in the next two weeks, is further expected to restore a vital channel of foreign exchange into Uganda’s economy, easing pressure on the shilling and supporting employment and local spending after nearly a year of disruption
Following the announcement by Minister kamuntu, Ireland’s Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Mags Gaynor, welcomed the move in a post on her official X account, describing it as “excellent news”.
At the time of suspending the NGO’s operations on January 9th with only days left to the National elections, the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO Bureau), while citing Section 42(d) of the NGO Act, alleged that the NGO’s were involved in activities prejudicial to national security and laws based on intelligence reports.
Some of the organisations affected by the government’s suspension include; Chapter Four Uganda, the Alliance for Election Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U), the National NGO Forum, Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, and the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV).
