AfriPulse
About nine million Kenyans who defaulted on Hustler Fund loans will miss out on the government’s new National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme.
On Monday, Principal Secretaries from various ministries were dispatched to counties across the country to rally support for NYOTA – a financial empowerment initiative launched by the Government of Kenya in partnership with the World Bank. The programme aims to support the creation of 100,000 youth-led enterprises, with up to 70 young people in each of the 1,450 wards expected to receive grants of Ksh.50,000.
However, individuals who have not cleared their Hustler Fund loans will be ineligible for the grants.
Speaking during a grassroots sensitization forum at the Maasai National Technical Institute in Kajiado County, Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho urged young people and persons living with disabilities to take advantage of the opportunity.
He noted that Hustler Fund defaulters would be excluded from consideration, and that after the validation process, 70 youths from each of Kajiado’s 25 wards would be selected.
“They are going to go through a long process of verification, which will start by applying,” Kimotho said, adding, “those who have some debts with Hustler Fund may not qualify.”
At the same time, Social Protection Principal Secretary Joseph Montari told residents of Migori County that Hustler Fund defaulters would be excluded from the NYOTA programme, saying they had already demonstrated that they could not be trusted with government funds.
“You were not able to repay because you went away with money. Please clear your Hustler Fund, you have to be in good standing,” Montari said.
In the first phase, 24,000 youths in Kajiado County applied for support, but 17,000 were disqualified, and in the end, only 318 youths were reachable and able to sit for the qualification test.
Meanwhile, State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development PS Susan Mang’eni warned that borrowers who deliberately refused to repay Hustler Fund loans taken three years ago would also lose access to other government-backed credit facilities, including the Social Health Authority (SHA) Lipa Pole Pole initiative.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
