The Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Board is a State Corporation established by the Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Act (Cap 19) of 1990. The Board has the responsibility of regulating and enabling the NGO sector in Kenya. The NGOs Co-ordination Board started its operations in 1992 and is currently under the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government.

Specifically, the NGOs Co-ordination Board is responsible for inter alia registering, facilitating and coordinating all national and international NGOs operating in Kenya; advising the government on their contribution to national development;  providing  policy guidelines for NGOs to align their activities with national priorities and receiving and analyzing NGOs annual reports.

Section 7 of the NGOs Act of 1990 defines the functions of the Board as:

  • To facilitate and co-ordinate the work of all national and international NGOs operating in Kenya.
  • To maintain the register of National and International NGOs operating in Kenya, with the precise sectors, affiliations and locations of their activities.
  • To receive and discuss the annual reports of NGOs.
  • To advise the government on the activities of the NGOs and their role in National Development within Kenya.
  • To conduct a regular review of the register to determine the consistency with the reports submitted by the NGOs and the Council.
  • To provide policy guidelines to the NGOs for harmonizing their activities to the National Development Plan for Kenya.
  • To receive discuss and approve the regular reports of the Council and to advise on strategies for efficient planning and coordination of the activities of NGOs in Kenya
  • To develop and publish a code of conduct for the regulation of NGOs and their activities in Kenya.
  • To prescribe rules and procedures for the audit of the accounts of NGOs.

Since its establishment in 1992, the Board has registered nearly 12000 NGOs. These number grows at an average of 500 NGOs per annum.They operate in virtually all sectors of the economy and can be found in all corners of the Country. Over the years, NGOs have made significant contribution to the well-being of Kenya. Their contributions include:-

  • The fight for Democracy, human rights and good governance
  • Provision of basic needs i.e. education, food, health, shelter and clothing
  • The fight against HIV/AIDS
  • Peace building
  • Economic empowerment

According to the NGOs Annual Reports submitted to the Board for the year 2017/18, NGOs contributed a total of 155 Billion Shillings towards the Kenyan economy. Hence the contribution of the sector to national development is very significant as it compares competitively with Tourism and Agricultural sectors among others.