Kiharu tops Uwezo loan repayments as northern Kenya borrowers default
What you need to know:
Makueni constituency repaid Sh7.9 million out of the Sh24.6 million that was shared out among 341 women and youth groups.
The Uwezo Fund board has ranked Kiharu Constituency top of its loan repayment list, beating all the other 289 electoral units.
Makueni, Gichugu, Ol Kalou and Funyula are also ranked among the top five constituencies that have repaid the highest amount of loans advanced to women and youth groups.
Constituencies from marginalised and poverty stricken areas of northern Kenya have been ranked in bottom for failing to repay the revolving fund.
Mandera West, Lafey, Wajir North, Fafi, Balambala, Turkana West and Banisa have not repaid a single cent ranging between Sh3.7 million and Sh12 million.
“Uwezo Fund being a revolving fund envisages that constituencies will revolve amounts repaid to groups so as to benefit more groups,” the Uwezo Fund Oversight Board said in an advertisement in local dailies.
Yet to repay a balance
This means that new women and youth groups in Mandera West, Lafey, Wajir North, Fafi, Balambala, Turkana West and Banisa constituencies will not benefit from the repaid funds.
Kiharu constituency was allocated Sh18.6 million and had repaid Sh11.7 million as at June 30. A total of 327 beneficiary groups received the money and are yet to repay a balance of Sh8.4 million.
Makueni constituency repaid Sh7.9 million out of the Sh24.6 million that was shared out among 341 women and youth groups.
In Gichugu, ranked third in repayment, 255 groups that benefited from the Sh16 million had repaid Sh5.7 million while 212 groups of Funyula repaid Sh5.3 million out of the Sh18.4 million that it shared. In other places, a total of Sh5 million had been repaid by 374 groups that benefited from Sh19.4 million in Alego Usonga constituency.
The Uwezo Oversight Board said it had disbursed a total of Sh5.35 billion to all the 290 constituencies for loaning to women, youth and persons with disabilities since inception in February 2014.
“Out of the Sh5,354,400,004 set aside for groups, the fund has disbursed a total of Sh5,119,680,571 to 58,549 groups comprising of 36,654 women groups, 20,461 youth groups and 1,434 persons with disability groups,” the board said.
