By Betty Luke
Have you ever attended a workshop or meeting convened by a Non-Governmental Organisation?
Are the public forums important and are the people invited a representative of the entire populace and how often do they transmit to the community what they learn if there is any?
How often do the conveners offer transport reimbursement for the attendants?
While we might have heard of millions directed towards several projects, are there any commensurate benefits to show, or do we continue to wait to see or feel the boon?
The above questions form the basis of our discussion that seeks to find out how useful the tens of NGOs in Isiolo are or if they are just conduits for siphoning funds meant for development in disguise of assisting poor residents.
Recent complaints from residents and a section of the leaders over the manner in which the organisations were conducting their business raise more questions than answers.
One of the residents told The Press Point that majority of the NGOs were in the business of making money and were not concerned about the plight of the locals.
The respondent said he had attended over 10 workshops in the recent past and despite having used his money to travel to the venue, transport reimbursement was not offered.
“They are so persuasive while inviting you to the workshops but they do not care where you get your transport from after the end of the session,” the Ngaremara resident said.
He said during all the recent workshops that he attended, the group of about 30 attendees was ordered to sign some forms for fare refund but the monies, which were to be sent via phone, have never been processed.
“We do not even know what the forms are for but we sign because we are asked to and with the hope of getting some cash refund,” he noted adding that reimbursement for a workshop he attended in January has never been sent.
His tale is no different from Said Boru’s (not his real name) who said he was at one time forced to visit one of the NGOs offices to claim the reimbursement.
“They had taken several months to refund us and I decided to visit their offices. They could not fathom the embarrassment and had to sort me out,” he said without revealing the amount of money he claimed.
Having appended their signatures and writing biodata details on the forms including those containing the reimbursement fee, residents say, makes it easier for rogue officials to demand for and pocket the money.
“It is so easy for rogue NGO officials to claim the money because the lists are signed and they could even lie that the attendees were sorted,” another resident said adding that it offers a loophole for diverting the monies.
She said corrupt NGO officials could even use the attendees’ details that include ID number, email address, signature and mobile number to apply for funds without their consent.
Another resident, only identified as Osman from Garbatulla, narrated how costly it was for him to travel to and from his home to attend the meetings in Isiolo town but said with or without refund, his main interest was to see the community benefit.
“I am a community leader and in a month, I receive invitations from at least three NGOs to attend their meetings in Isiolo town, we sign reimbursement forms but none is honoured,” Mr Osman said.
He added “Sometimes in May, I participated in a public participation on how to empower women through investment and to date no single person has benefited”.
The NGOs on several occasions offer much less than what they promise with residents defrauded of thousands of shillings.
“They may tell you that you will get Sh1000 for transport daily only to get Sh1500 after three days,” another reported.
The majority of those who spoke to The Press Point felt that NGOs had not realized change commensurate to the millions of funds injected into several projects and were actually ‘pretending to help while fulfilling their selfish interests’.
Sources told The Press Point that once participants have signed the participation forms in the meetings, the event coordinators demand money from their organizations which might or never reach the intended beneficiaries.
“It happens severally. It becomes easy for us to solicit money from donors to reimburse them when all their details are included so that they do not feel like we are lying,” an officer working with one of the NGOs intimated to The Press Point.
Though it is true that there are poor residents in the far-flung areas, the NGOs preference to take projects there is also to benefit their officers who are entitled to huge amounts of per diem and facilitation compared to within Isiolo town and its outskirts.
Isiolo Deputy Governor Dr Abdi Issa in June this year accused the NGOs of unfairness while carrying out their humanitarian assistance in the county crying foul that some needy areas within Isiolo town were being left out.
During the launch of a cash transfer program to help curb acute malnutrition at El-Boran hotel, Dr Issa wondered why the majority of the organisations were concentrating in the same areas instead of spreading the assistance across the county.
“Cash transfer programs should not be repeated where similar programs are being undertaken because some are benefiting while other areas are being neglected,” Dr Issa said while demanding consideration of Bulapesa, Wabera and Burat wards which he said were grappling with poverty.
Isiolo Parents Association Chair Ismael Galma during the launch of girls’ rescue centre at Mwangaza Primary on August 4 castigated NGOs over failure to have ‘impact on the ground’.
“It should not be just hooting vehicles around. We want to see the impact on the ground,” Mr Galma said
His sentiments were echoed by local politician and Isiolo North MP aspirant Lucy Mworia who said it was unfortunate that there were no noticeable impact on the ground despite several NGOs working in the county.
Governor Mohammed Kuti days ago, during flagging off of Sh12 worth of donations from the USAID-funded Nawiri program, asked NGOs to shift from their traditional way of doing things and concentrate on offering permanent solutions to problems that local residents face.
Dr Kuti said NGOs should undertake long-lasting projects that would impact the lives of the residents so that the current challenges are dealt once and for all.
Other local leaders who spoke to The Press Point said NGOs should focus on training residents how to be self-reliant and eradicate hunger and poverty through the provision of the required resources.
“You cannot keep feeding people. Just show them how to feed themselves and provide them with necessary resources and incentives,” one of the local leaders said.
