What is a CBO?

A community-based organization is a registered non-profit, non-political and non-governmental organization within a group of people who mostly live in the same area and have common interests. The CBO normally has a chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer and it’s aimed at ensuring that members’ interests are catered for.

The size and organizational structure might vary. Additionally, the demographic of the membership and the focus of the problems that they want to solve might also be different dependent on the CBO. There are CBOs which are formally registered and incorporated while there are informal ones which are much smaller in size but are registered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

Stages to forming a CBO

• Organize yourselves into a group. Let the members have a common theme and a common goal that drives the need for the said CBO. It may be to clean your community or apply for government tenders so that you can overcome poverty and so on.
• Draft a constitution that will guide the CBO. This is a set of rules and guidelines that will govern the CBO. Together as a community, you should come up with these rules so that they can be embraced by everyone. Once you agree, then you should create a copy which all involved parties will sign. The members should also commit to the terms and conditions.
• In that constitution, the CBO should clearly state their missions, goals and objectives.
• Thirdly the CBO should meet and define the roles of the chairman, secretary and treasurer. Then the minutes of the meeting should be recorded. When you go to the Ministry of Labour and social planning, one of the documents that will be required is the minutes of the first meeting showing the need and agreement to be registered.

Registration

• To register your CBO you will go to the sub-county’s labour and social protection office or Huduma Center. You will be given an application form for a CBO to fill.
• Once you fill out the form you need to attach the following requirements:
• Minutes of the meeting seeking registration and showing elected officials.
• List of members of the CBO. They each must have signed the document with their IDs, names and position clearly on the application form.
• Attach the CBOs By-laws/rules/constitution
• Memorandum of Understanding where the CBO is formed through amalgamation eg when various groups join together to become a big umbrella organization.
• Fees payment- The registration fee is Ksh 5,000.

Certificate

After five business days, your registration will be approved and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection will issue you with a Certificate of Registration.

The difference between a CBO and an NGO

• An NGO has no affiliation with the government and works for a cause. A CBO on the other hand is restricted to an area.
• An NGO is a fully legal entity with an organizational structure and has employees. It can collect funds and avail tax deductions. In contrast, a CBO is made up of people from the same locality who come together to support a particular cause in a specific area.
• A CBO doesn’t have a legal framework since it’s an informal arrangement by a group of people who want to improve their community. According to the law, an NGO needs to have a legal memorandum and an adequate structure of members.
• Both CBOs and NGOs depend on generous donations from people, celebrities and corporations for funding.