In case you are planning to hold fundraisers popularly known as Harambee, you will soon require to obtain a license from the relevant authorities.
This is according to the new proposed bill dubbed The Public Fundraising Appeal Bill 2019.
The bill, according to some of the MPs, aims at regulating the growing number of fundraisers, which sometimes illegally solicit huge amounts of money from the public.
A vetting team (County Policing Authority) shall be put in place to vet the applications and the contributors of the events.
The County Policing Authority shall require information, including their source of income and the purpose, from both the beneficiaries and the contributors of the fundraising event.
The Harambee held should be of benefit to the members of the public either directly or indirectly. Thus, the license will help in curbing such functions meant for personal gains like a business promotion or even buying personal things.
Ndaragua MP, Jeremiah Kioni, opined that the bill is aimed at locking out legislators and MCAs from the many harambees they get invited to.
Since time immemorial, harambees have been used to help Kenyans (to enhance the spirit of togetherness), through providing monetary assistance or other forms, to fund their education, sort their medical bills and even build public facilities.
In recent times, this privilege has been abused. Government officials have been accused of wasting public funds in the name of sponsoring these events, while at the same time, using these avenues to woe voters towards their political ambitions
Some churches have for decades been built using fundraising money, but are still nowhere near completion. Unfortunately, the bill does not regulate public collections for charitable and religious purposes.