A section of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition MPs have scoffed at the recently unveiled Hustler Fund, claiming it fell short of many Kenyans' expectations.
The MPs compared the fund to other money lenders, claiming that the President William Ruto-led administration misled Kenyans about how to access the hustler fund funds.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, speaking in parliament on Wednesday, accused Kenya Kwanza of duping Kenyans during campaigns by promising a free fund but then overtaxing them.
Instead of slapping an 8% interest rate and an additional 9.5% on defaulters, the MP believes the government should have reduced the interest rate to make the fund more affordable to Kenyans.
"How can you get a loan with 8% interest and be a hustler? Will you be paying the principal or the interest? They (Kenyans) were told during campaigns that we will put Ksh. 50 billion in the budget to change their lives for free...this is documented. That's the cash the hustlers were hoping for. This is a textbook example of how politicians deceive Kenyans," he said.
Junet, as a result, challenged the president to reduce the 8% interest rate to 1% in order to make it affordable to all Kenyans.
"I want Kenyans to know that Hustler Fund will not change their lives." In this country, cooperatives lend at 8% or lower. Why don't you set the interest rate at 1% if you want to improve Kenyans' lives?" Junet posed.
When comparing the Hustler Fund to the Ksh. 6000 stipend promised by his party's leader Raila Odinga during campaigns, Junet stated that Odinga's promise was more likely to be fulfilled.
"The only money I was certain Kenyans would not be lied to about was the Sh6,000 Raila Odinga promised to every Kenyan," he said.
In a separate conference, Mathare Constituency MP Anthony Oluoch and his Embakasi East counterpart Babu Owino questioned the program's funding and legality.
Babu Owino, for his part, advised the president to combine the Fund with Azimio's pledge of Ksh. 6000 and Kazi Mtaani's pledge of Ksh. 100,000 to increase an individual's allocation to Ksh. 100,000.
"We advise the President to combine the Hustler Fund, the KSh6,000 social protection fund, and the money designated for Kazi Mtaani, and give every Hustler a minimum of KSh100,000," he said.
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