Over 5000 civil associations for deregistration

OVER 5000 trustees of civil societies, associations, religious bodies and other non-governmental organisations have been lined up for deregistration for failure to comply with the country's laws.

Authorities responsible for registration of civil societies, companies and other non- profit institutions revealed yesterday when handing over a verification report to the Minister for Justice and Constitution and Legal Affairs, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, that the groups were operating illegally.

The report prepared by Registration Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA), Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender and Children follows a directive by Dr Makyembe for verification of legality of the non- profit institutions operating in the country.

Speaking after receiving the report, Dr Mwakyembe said that the document would be presented and discussed in the coming National Assembly session. "We shall discuss the report in the coming National Assembly.

The verification exercise seeks to see those complying with regulations operating and bogus ones axed" he said.

RITA Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms Emmy Hudson said that among the organisations lined for deregistration include 500 board of trustees indicated to be dormant.

He said 5,262 registered trustees boards were verified and 4,287 of them were found active.

Ms Hudson further said that 180 out of 200 non -profit institutions under the agency that were called for verification would be struck off register after failing to respond to the notice.

"The 180 institutions would be published in the government gazette at the end of this month," she said noting that only 20 of them had responded to the notice. Ms Hudson said that the Agency was also in the process of banning other 320 non-profit institutions for failing to meet required conditions.

She told the Minister that the verification exercise found out that some 282 institutions based in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Songwe, Mbeya and Mwanza regions were ineffective with some lacking board of trustees.

She said some of the institutions had changed their names without legal approval from the Agency, while others were inactive for lack of funds.

On her part, the Assistant Registrar of Religious Organisations and Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ms Malin Komba, said that some 3000 out of 16,000 institutions registered by the Ministry have been lined up for deregistration.

She said the Ministry was scrutinising applications from 1,500 institutions seeking registration.

Director of Non-Governmental Organisations of the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Baraka Leornard pointed out that there were 8000 institutions that had been registered of which only 5,000 were active.