Kenya Forms Multi-Agency Team to Monitor Non-Profits Over Terror Financing Fears
Kenya has formed a powerful multi-agency team to identify and monitor non-profit organisations considered at risk of being used to finance terrorism, in a major escalation of scrutiny over the sector’s finances.
The new Multi-Agency Coordination Working Group on Non-Profit Organisations at Risk of Terrorism Financing was formally established by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen in a gazette notice dated September 2.
According to the notice, the group will focus on identifying high-risk charitable organisations, coordinating information between government agencies and strengthening compliance with laws targeting terrorism financing.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration has constituted a working group to be known at the Multi-Agency Coordination Working Group on Non-Profit Organisations at Risk of Terrorism Financing,” the notice stated.
The creation of the team is expected to bring closer financial and regulatory scrutiny to organisations operating within Kenya’s non-profit sector, although being monitored by the taskforce does not, by itself, mean an organisation has been accused of financing terrorism.
Multiple state agencies brought together
The working group will be led by the Ministry of Interior and National Administration and will bring together officials from several government institutions with responsibilities covering financial intelligence, security, registration and regulation.
Among the agencies represented are the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) and the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, alongside representatives from the Attorney-General’s office.
The Public Benefit Organisations Regulatory Authority (PBORA), Business Registration Service (BRS), Registrar of Societies and Directorate of Social Development will also participate.
The arrangement is intended to improve cooperation between agencies that hold different pieces of information about non-profit organisations and their operations.
The team will also undertake sensitisation programmes designed to help non-profits understand terrorism-financing risks and their legal obligations.
Taskforce given broad responsibilities
The new group will be responsible for facilitating information sharing between relevant statutory bodies and supporting the identification and monitoring of non-profit organisations considered vulnerable to terrorism financing.
It will also have the authority to develop its own operational procedures, conduct research and studies and bring in other institutions where their expertise is considered necessary.
PBORA will provide secretariat services, while the working group is expected to submit comprehensive annual reports to Interior CS Murkomen.
The move places Kenya’s non-profit sector under a more coordinated regulatory framework as authorities attempt to strengthen the country’s defences against money laundering and terrorism financing.
New rules tighten pressure on NGOs
The latest development follows legislative changes passed by Parliament in April 2025 that expanded anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations affecting non-governmental organisations.
The reforms introduced stronger regulatory oversight and financial compliance requirements for organisations operating under the public-benefit framework, with PBORA taking a central role in supervision.
In May, the government also directed NGOs to transition to the newer Public Benefit Organisations regulatory framework, warning that organisations that failed to comply could face deregistration and lose official recognition.
The transition deadline was subsequently extended amid concerns and confusion surrounding the re-registration process.
Kenya’s FATF grey-list problem
The increased scrutiny comes against the backdrop of Kenya’s continued efforts to strengthen its financial-control systems.
Kenya was placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2024, putting the country under increased monitoring over weaknesses identified in its measures for combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Being placed on the grey list does not mean Kenya has been designated as a country that supports terrorism. Rather, it indicates that the country has committed to addressing identified deficiencies within an agreed timeframe under increased FATF monitoring.
The government has since pursued a series of reforms aimed at strengthening financial transparency and demonstrating compliance with international standards.
For non-profit organisations, the latest taskforce represents another significant layer of oversight.
Authorities will now have a coordinated mechanism for sharing information, assessing risks and monitoring organisations considered vulnerable to abuse by individuals or networks seeking to move or conceal funds linked to terrorism.
The government is therefore expected to face the difficult task of balancing stronger security controls with the legitimate operations of charities and civil-society organisations, particularly those providing humanitarian and community services.
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