PARLIAMENT - The Senate is investigating Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to ascertain whether funds are being misused, Sunday Times has learnt. A source from Parliament said Tuesday the probe was ordered following persistent reports that NGOs receive billions yet there is little activity on the ground. "The Senate is interested to know how the money is spent. They also want to know the number of NGO’s operating in the country,” the source said on condition on anonymity.

Early this week, members of the Senatorial Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Security paid an impromptu visit to the Rwanda NGO Forum on HIV/Aids. The Senate members reportedly demanded to know how funds are being spent.

Rwanda NGO Forum on HIV/Aids is the national umbrella for NGOs tackling the disease. It was formed as a merger of 153 NGOs to fight the HIV/Aids virus in the country and has members in all districts.

The Senators wanted to know how much money the NGO forum spends on employees at its headquarters. A source within the forum said the Senate had been told that the group was spending approximately Frw200 million annually on employees.

The Frw200 million comes from annual subscriptions from member NGOs. The membership fee is Frw100,000 for local NGOs and Frw200,000 for international organisations.

MPs had in the past expressed dissatisfaction, saying the manner in which the funds are spent is questionable since there is no clear mechanism in place to show accountability.

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