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NMG convenes key stakeholders to discuss future of development, NGO funding
From left to right: Principal Administrative Secretary for National Administration at the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, Beverly Opwora, Director General of the Public Benefit Organizations Regulatory Authority, Laxmana Kiptoo, Nation Media Group Group CEO Geoffrey Odundo, and NMG Chief Commercial Officer James Sogoti interact during the Development Roundtable 2026, themed “Reimagining the Future of Development Financing in Kenya,” held at the Trademark Hotel on February 26, 2026.
The two-day national conference on the future of development and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) funding in Kenya attracted key stakeholders and partners, who participated in a roundtable discussion about the shift in funding dynamics in the country.
The initiative, organised by the Nation Media Group in partnership with Public Benefit Organisations Regulatory Authority (PBORA), SDG’s Kenya Forum, and Strathmore University, was held at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi. It offered a platform for NGOs, the government and private entities to share their views on the future of project financing, amid dwindling funding from the global stage.
In his opening remarks for the inaugural conference, NMG Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Geoffrey Odundo said that the company was going beyond the newsroom to create public spaces outside, including seeking solutions to the challenges that are affecting society.
“This Development Roundtable represents our commitment to using our convening power to address one of the most pressing challenging issues facing our nation today,” Mr Odundo said.
The CEO said that for the past decades, the country’s development landscape has undergone a transformation, which in one way has affected several sectors.
“We have witnessed a fundamental shift in how development work is funded and implemented. Traditional donor funding, which has been the backbone of many of our development initiative sis declining as global priorities shift and international focus moves to other regions. This reality has been more pronounced over the past year than ever before, particularly following the USAID funding freeze in January 2025.”
Mr James Sogoti, the NMG Chief Commercial Officer, said that the company has partnered with over 100 community radio stations, which will be pivotal in ensuring that the message is conveyed to the locals at the grassroots level and in the language that is best understood by the locals.
“We have had a discussion with the government, specifically the Ministry of Interior, to engage the chiefs. How do we get the chiefs involved to have this discussion about building Kenya, responsible citizenship,” Mr Sogoti said, highlighting how the company has been carrying out engagements and having similar meetings over the past years.
German Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth said that the funding cut comes with an opportunity for more sustainability and self-reliance.
Ambassador Groth said that the discussion came at the right time, just in line with President William Ruto’s recent remarks urging African leaders in several occasions to reduce foreign assistance.
“We are supporting Kenya in reforming its public financial management, the fight against corruption and combating illicit financial flows. The less public money is misappropriated, the more funds can be invested in economic and social development. It is about resource mobilisation,” Mr Groth said.
During the presentation, Erastus Maina of audit firm KPMG stated that funding cuts have had negative effects on the health sector, the school feeding programme and the general development in areas which were initially relying on funding.
“When you stop feeding school kids, you do not just affect the ability to attend school. Some of them will drop out as a result of a lack of feeding and nutrition, and it will also affect the community and the ecosystem,” Mr Maina said.
Interior Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo, in his speech that was delivered on his behalf by Beverly Opwora, Principal Administrative Secretary in the Interior Ministry, said that partnerships with government, the private sector and consortium approach to development are major imperatives in the country.
“Both the private and charitable sector engage in good services that serve the same populace. They complement one another and therefore their partnership ultimately catalyses our economy,” Dr Omollo said.
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