Kenyans now have a reason to smile about after the only fund with low interest was launched yesterday. The repayment period for loans for small businesses through the Hustlers Fund will be capped at 14 days in a plan that looks set to open a window for small businesses to access cheaper credit.
The Hustlers Fund will see minimum borrowers get Sh500 while the largest amount advanced will be Sh50,000 at an interest rate of eight per cent.
A customer who borrows Sh500 will pay back Sh501.53 after 14 days, representing Sh1.53 in interest following a 14-day repayment period and an annual interest rate of eight per cent calculated per day.
At eight per cent per month, the interest is lower than the latest average bank borrowing cost of 12.38 per cent and annualised M-Shwari charges of 108 per cent.
“We have about eight million Kenyans who have been blacklisted by lenders. The Hustlers fund will give them a second chance… Even those who had been sent away by lending apps, this is your chance to redeem yourself,” said President William Ruto during the launch of the Fund in Nairobi yesterday.
This fund will see customers who have not refunded the facility in 14 days get an extra 15 days to repay and if the loan is still not settled, the interest rate increases to 9.5 per cent per year. And in the event a customer is not able to repay back the loan after the extension, the Hustler Fund account is frozen and the borrower loses all accumulated credit scores after more than 30 days of default.
The default has no impact on the debtor’s credit score with other lenders for there is no CRB listing under the Sh50 billion fund. The borrower who defaults may pay off the loan all at once or in instalments, and after full repayment, they may borrow again.
Once the customer have borrowed the money, the approved loan is sent to their mobile money account, deposits 95 per cent of it in their money wallet, and places five per cent of it in their savings account.
The five per cent that goes toward the savings plan is split into 30 per cent for short-term savings and 70 per cent for long-term (pension) savings. In case someone borrows the loan erroneously, the loan cannot be reversed and must be repaid.
The fund will be the centrepiece of President Ruto’s job creation agenda, especially with the outgoing government extended the hiring freeze in parastatals, dashing the hopes of thousands of jobless Kenyans in an economy where companies are shedding jobs.
You can now access the Hustler Fund through a USSD code and mobile app platforms offered by mobile network providers like Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom.
By Jane Kibathi.
