Oparanya asks Kenyans who borrowed Hustler Fund to pay
Cooperatives & MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary (CS) Wycliffe Oparanya has urged Kenyans who borrowed from the Hustler Fund kitty to repay their loans.
Speaking when he appeared before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, he stated that the Hustler Fund kitty is a good initiative that will help many Kenyans.
“I’m saying that Kenyans who have borrowed this money to pay because I feel that this money is a good initiative that will help many Kenyans,” Oparanya said.
Responding to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna who asked the CS of his earlier remarks when he said Hustler Fund is a government grant, he said he now thinks the Hustler Fund is a good initiative.
“I was only in the same boat with you, Senator Sifuna, when we were saying that this money will not be paid. I’m in a different boat now,” he clarified.
While acknowledging the challenges the initiative faced since its launch, especially defaulting, he clarified that the Hustler Fund is not a government grant.
“When such initiatives come up after elections, members of the public think that they are being rewarded. That’s why we had so many defaulters when the fund started,” he added.
Further, he said the government is working on an initiative to ensure the defaulters of the kitty repay their loans.
“We are working on a system to ensure this money is recovered so that many Kenyans benefit,” he added.
However, he revealed that out of the 20 million Kenyans who borrowed from the Hustler Fund, 2 million have been promoted to access higher loan limits.
“We have introduced a bridging loan of up to Ksh150,000 for the 2 million people who have proven to be good borrowers.”
Defaulters
This comes months after President William Ruto announced that the four million Kenyans who have not repaid Hustler Funds loans have a chance of tripling their limit if they clear outstanding amounts.
Speaking at a Town Hall meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi in December 2024, Ruto noted that the four million borrowers are those with outstanding amounts or have not repaid on time.
“If they pay their outstanding amounts, the window for them to be moved to the Bridge Loan, which doubles or triples their credit limit, exists. The four million people out there who have not paid their money have a chance,” Ruto said.
The Bridge Loan product is designed for beneficiaries who have demonstrated good borrowing behaviour.
