Community groups will no longer undertake any community projects if they are not registered by the government in a new Senate Bill.
The Community Groups Registration Bill, 2021 provides a framework for the mobilization, registration, coordination and regulation of the groups in a bid to formalise and make them viable.
“The registration of community groups will lead to community mobilisation, capacity building, development of social development programmes and emerging issues in the community,” the bill read in part.
The proposed law is sponsored by Senate majority leader Samuel Poghisio. It is due for introduction in the House for first reading.
According to the bill, a group qualifies for the registration if it is comprised of at least 10 adults or at least five persons in the case of a special interest group who have one purpose.
A group seeking registration must have a constitution.
The Bill creates an office of a director of social development, an office in the public service that shall be in charge of mobilising communities to form groups to undertake community projects.
The office shall also be in charge of registration of the groups, supervision, monitoring and evaluation of community projects and overseeing the operation of social development committees.
The director shall prescribe application fees.
The application shall take 14 days. The registration expires after a year. It’s renewable.
“Where the director refuses to register a community group, the director shall notify the applicants of the refusal in writing setting out reasons for refusal,” the bill states.
In order to effectively carry out the roles, the director shall appoint a county coordinator for each of the 47 counties.
“The county coordinator of social development shall be responsible for the performance of the director’s function,” it states.
The county coordinator shall in turn establish a social development committee for every sub-county under them.
The committee shall comprise the coordinator, officer responsible for social development in the county government and a representative of the deputy county commissioner.
Four representatives of development partners and civil society organization and five representatives of registered community groups operating in the county shall also be part of the team.
“A sub-county social development committee shall include representatives of persons with disability, women and youth,” it says.
The social development committee shall act as a link between the national and community groups, communities and other partners; support community mobilisation and formation and registration of community groups.
“The cabinet secretary shall, on the advice of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, determine the allowances payable to members of social development committees for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of their functions,” the bill says.