MP Dawood Urges Ruto To Order Audit On Hustler Fund

By Dennis Dibondo

North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood has urged President William Ruto to order an audit to unravel how KSh6 billion of Hustlers Fund was lost.

The Hustler Fund, a flagship government initiative aimed at empowering low-income Kenyans through accessible credit, is now grappling with a massive Sh6 billion loss; money loaned out but never recovered.

According to the State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the lost amount stems from loans taken out by millions of Kenyans in late 2022, many of whom have since defaulted and disappeared from the radar.

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, MSMEs Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni disclosed that about 10 million Kenyans borrowed small amounts, averaging Sh500 each, between November and December 2022, but never repaid.

The legislator said he is a member of a committee of special funds and when they were conducting an audit they called PS and asked the numbers of people they had given the funds and those who had failed to pay but he was not able to avail the details up to now.

“Recently the same PS said that Sh6 billion of Hustlers has not been paid but I would like to say that it is not possible that such a huge amount has been lost and they have failed to account for the same,” he said.

He urged residents and especially beneficiaries of government programs such as Uwezo Fund  to be writing to the next of kin to ensure that in case of death their relatives benefit from property or funds.

“Residents should pick a form called payable on death in their banks and fill it to avoid going to court, which is a long process as one has to wait for six months or one year,”  Dawood said.

On constituency fund, he said the national assembly passed the NG-CDF but the bill is yet to go through and is awaiting approval by the Senate.

“We even allocated senators some funds to do their oversight. If they fail to pass the national government constituency development fund they should be blamed,” he said.

On Gakoromone market, he said the market will be given KSh800 million for the renovation.

He urged Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Erick Mugaa to speed up relocation of Gakoromone sewerage so as more traders can be accommodated in the space.

The MP spoke yesterday at his constituency offices in Meru town when he gave out Uwezo funds cheques worth KSh6 million.

Dawood urged groups not to give up and continue applying for the Uwezo fund that is interest free and which one starts to pay after six months or one year.

“There are groups that started with as low as Sh.70,000 but now they are getting as much as Sh.500,000,” Dawood said.

He said they began with KSh16 million and  have been able to  give KSh62 million in his constituency since he began giving Uwezo funds in 2013.