Oparanya responds to KHRC’s damning report on Hustler Fund
By William Muthama, August 4, 2025Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya has come out strongly in defence of the Hustler Fund, dismissing a damning report by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) that called for the fund’s scrapping.
Speaking in Nairobi on Monday, 4 August 2025, Oparanya described the report as “misleading, biased, and politically motivated.”
“The claims made by KHRC are inaccurate and seem designed to discredit a programme that is helping millions of Kenyans,” Oparanya said.
“They never contacted us for data or clarification. This is not an objective report; it is an ambush.”
He noted that more than 26 million Kenyans have accessed the Hustler Fund since its inception, with over nine million currently repaying loans.
“These are not just numbers — they are lives being changed,” he added.
Biased and political
The KHRC report, titled “Failing the Hustlers,” claims that the fund is unsustainable, marred by poor structure, and politically driven. It estimated that by the end of 2022, the fund had a default rate of 68.3 per cent, and that for every Ksh500 issued, Ksh340 was lost, with taxpayers footing 71.5 per cent of the burden.
Oparanya, however, rubbished these findings, saying the figures were out of context and exaggerated to suit a political narrative.
“This is a social impact fund, not a commercial bank. Its success cannot be measured by traditional metrics alone,” he stated.
Fund empowering Kenyans
Also present at the briefing was Principal Secretary for MSMEs Susan Mang’eni, who echoed Oparanya’s sentiments and defended the fund’s impact on economic inclusion.
“Daily disbursements are averaging Ksh68 million. In total, Ksh72 billion has reached Kenyans through this fund,” Mang’eni revealed.
She emphasised that the Hustler Fund has especially benefited youth, women, and informal sector workers, often locked out of traditional banking.
Questions on timing
Both officials questioned the timing of the KHRC report, hinting at political motivations. “Why now?” Oparanya posed. “The tone and timing are suspect. We’re focused on service delivery — others are clearly focused on politics.”
Despite the backlash, Oparanya reaffirmed that the government remains committed to sustaining and expanding the fund as a key pillar of its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.