MP Robert Mbui questions Hustler Fund’s survival
By Cynthia Lodite, October 14, 2025Kathiani Member of Parliament Robert Mbui has come out at President William Ruto, questioning the survival chances of the Hustler Fund amid the newly implemented NYOTA Fund.
The MP made his remarks on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, during an interview with a local media house, where he called out Ruto for implementing a new borrowing fund while the past fund was not in good shape.
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According to the Kathiani Member of Parliament, he is yet to understand what happened to the Hustler Fund despite it being launched in pomp and colour.
“Nyota Fund is just political theatrics and gymnastics that President Ruto is good at. I’m yet to understand what happened to Hustler Fund,” Mbui stated.
He further questioned if Ruto had abandoned the Hustler Fund, which was touted to alleviate poverty.
“Because when he was coming to power, he stated that he was coming up with a model that would get people out of poverty, but now he says we have the Nyota Fund, which is better,” Mbui added.
KHRC says Hustler Fund is failing to deliver
Mbui’s remarks come just months after KHRC released a damning report on the programme. The study accused the government of running an economically unsustainable and politically manipulated scheme that has failed to achieve its promised impact.
The KHRC report concluded that the Hustler Fund, launched in November 2022 with a Ksh50 billion startup capital, had not delivered meaningful financial empowerment for low-income Kenyans. It argued that while disbursements were high, the loan amounts, often between Ksh500 and Ksh1,000 for first-time borrowers were too small to meaningfully grow businesses or create jobs.
By September 2024, the fund had already disbursed over Ksh53 billion, but the report noted there was no measurable impact on enterprise development or employment.
The Commission called for the programme to be shut down entirely, saying it was structurally flawed and served more as a political talking point than a practical economic solution.
Despite the criticism, Ruto maintains that the Hustler Fund is driving financial inclusion and changing lives, insisting that the growing number of repeat borrowers and improved credit scores among beneficiaries are proof of its success.