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Following a critical report by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) alleging substantial financial losses in the Hustler Fund, Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya issued a forceful rebuke. In a lengthy statement on August 4, Oparanya described the KHRC report as "skewed, elitist, and politically motivated." He emphasized that the commission failed to engage with the Ministry or the fund’s administrators during its investigation.
A central point in Oparanya’s rebuttal was the limited evaluation period used by KHRC: the financial year 2022/2023. The Hustler Fund had been operational for just seven months by the end of that period. Oparanya suggested the commission inappropriately extrapolated early operational data into generalized claims, calling such conclusions "immature" and based on insufficient evidence.
KHRC reported that the fund began with KSh 50 billion in capital, but Oparanya refuted this, stating the actual injected capital was KSh 14 billion. He clarified that the current portfolio now exceeds KSh 72 billion, a figure that reflects reinvested returns and ongoing lending. These numbers challenge the commission’s portrayal of mismanagement and monumental losses.
KHRC estimated that 71.5% of issued loans are unrecoverable, projecting daily losses of over KSh 50 million. Oparanya countered by highlighting the fund’s wide reach and robust uptake, with over nine million active borrowers using USSD *254# and 26 million credit histories established. This involvement, he argued, demonstrates high accessibility and the operational success of the platform.
Contrary to KHRC’s claim that loans were capped between KSh 500 and KSh 1,000, Oparanya clarified that personal loans go up to KSh 50,000. He further emphasized that the fund is accessible via feature phones and smartphones, ensuring Kenyans across socioeconomic levels can borrow without internet access.
Oparanya framed his rebuttal as more than a matter of statistics. He called attention to the importance of contextual analysis, urging stakeholders to consider the Fund’s early operational phase rather than cherry-picking data for sensationalist headlines. He urged the public and critics alike to engage responsibly and consult relevant officials before issuing sweeping assessments.
In his response, CS Wycliffe Oparanya struck a confident tone—defending the Hustler Fund’s performance, clarifying its operational metrics, and exposing perceived flaws in the KHRC report. While acknowledging growing pains in a new national scheme, he asserted that the Fund remains a crucial tool in Kenya’s economic transformation.
Ultimately, Oparanya’s message is clear: premature judgments based on early data undermine Kenya's efforts to broaden access to credit and support the bottom-up growth agenda.
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