Coalition co-chair Human Security Collective was in Lake Naivasha for a key engagement with Kenya's newly established Public Benefit Organisations Regulatory Authority (PBORA), formerly known as the NGO Board. The meeting brought together representatives from PBORA, the Kenyan National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), and non-profit organizations, including members of the sectoral Risk Assessment task team.

As Kenya remains on the FATF grey list since February 2024, there has been an increased focus on addressing the country’s ‘Non-Compliant’ rating on FATF’s Recommendation 8. Among the critical developments discussed was the completion of a sectoral Risk Assessment and the recent enactment of the long-awaited 2013 PBO Bill. This legislation establishes the PBORA and introduces a risk-based oversight framework to address the challenge of terrorist financing (TF).

The workshop focused on shaping a risk-based system and exploring self-regulation mechanisms, as envisioned in the PBO Federation and the new law. During the meeting, members of the sectoral Risk Assessment task team, including Coalition member MUHURI, presented the findings from the Risk Assessment, providing valuable insights to strengthen the regulatory approach.

Coalition members look forward to continuing this dialogue to strengthen Kenya's regulatory framework and ensure the continued viability of the non-profit sector in the face of rising counter-terrorism financing regulations.