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{
"id": 1565992,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565992/?format=api",
"text_counter": 42,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Hanna Cheptumo",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage",
"speaker": null,
"content": "/SMSEs over the last two financial years."
},
{
"id": 1565993,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565993/?format=api",
"text_counter": 43,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Hanna Cheptumo",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, following the digital lending challenges experience, the Funds Advisory Board, through the Cabinet Secretary, made a formal request to revert back to manual lending. His Excellency the President, through a communication from the Head of Public Service, reference SHGM/Vol.1, dated 17th September, 2024 granted the approval to revert back to manual lending through bankers' Realm system. Since the resumption of the lending, the Fund has disbursed Kshs457,400,000 to 1,180 groups, benefiting 12,538 members under the revised Constituency Women Enterprise Scheme (CWES), lending channel. See Annexure 2. It is at the back. As per the counties, there are 47 counties of Kenya. The groups, the number of members and the approved amount is tabulated there very clearly. Number three in answering your question, hon. Member, on increase in the onboarding of new chamas into the funds database since the inception of the digital system. The digital lending product was halted barely three months after rollout, and not much data was collated to facilitate onboarding growth analysis. Number four is on the number of groups that have dropped out of the fund due to the challenges they encountered during the onboarding into the new system and what the Ministry is doing to restore them. The Fund had lent to 136,499 groups since inception, but only 18,955 had borrowed under the digital loan product. For the three; the product was on offer. Presumably, the rest of 1,117,544 groups had opted out due to the limiting loan amounts and shorter repayment period. However, upon reversion to the manual lending model, all groups with good repayment history have been able to express their interest in borrowing, resulting to disbursement of Kshs457,400,000 to 1,180 groups in the last four months. On the measures that the Ministry is taking to address the concerns on the punitive decision of scrapping the credit scores, following the reversion to the manual lending model in December, 2024, the Fund has acknowledged the valid concerns raised by long-standing women groups regarding the loss of credit history and scores built over several years, particularly prior to the digitization phase. In response, the following strategic measures and policy interventions have been undertaken- One, restoration and integration of historical credit records. The Fund has integrated historical loan performance data from pre-digitization and digital records into the bankers' realm system. This aims to ensure that groups with strong repayment histories are recognized and rewarded through improved loan access, faster approvals and ability to reinstate previous loan limits. Two, reinstatement of loan graduation. The Fund has reinstated the tiered lending structure, allowing groups to progress based on their historical performance. Groups that had advanced to higher cycles before the digitization of their lending are being reassessed and reinstated to their previous cycles. The third intervention is targeted vetting and fast-tracking for legacy groups. Legacy groups with established track records are being fast-tracked through manual The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1565994,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565994/?format=api",
"text_counter": 44,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Hanna Cheptumo",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage",
"speaker": null,
"content": "verification, including physical vetting by credit assistants to restore their access to credit without penalization. Four, stakeholder communication. A structured communication and engagement strategy has been initiated to inform groups of their options. There is more sensitization at constituency and county levels on the reinstated manual lending model. Five, policy review. The Fund has documented lessons learnt from digitization and endeavors to strengthen future transitions to safeguard borrower records and institutionalize credit score protection policies moving forward. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Part C of the Question is on what the Ministry is doing to ensure that women entrepreneurs who wish to do business outside of chamas are not discriminated against when it comes to accessing WEF’s loans. The Fund is aware that not all women prefer or are able to operate within the group chama structures and is taking deliberate steps to expand financial inclusion by creating more flexible individualized access products. The following measures are being implemented- One, introduction of individual loan products. The Ministry through the Women Enterprise Fund has developed individual loan products tailored to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs who operate outside group chama models. These products will consider business registration or proof of income instead of group guarantees, scalable limits based on individual payment capacity and customized training and financial literacy support. The products have been approved in the credit policy and will be rolled out progressively in the next financial year subject to availability of funds. Two, policy framework to expand beyond group lending. The credit policy has been reviewed to diversify WEF's lending portfolio beyond the traditional group-based CWES model. This new framework will incorporate hybrid lending structures, including business loans, agricultural loans and asset financing loans. The third intervention in that question is capacity building for individual entrepreneurs. The Fund is expanding its training programmes to cover individual women business owners. This includes modules on business management, record keeping and loan application readiness and transitioning from informal to formal entrepreneurship. On strategic partnership with financial institutions, the WEF is engaging banks, savings and credit organization saccos to co-design individual credit products that are accessible, affordable and scalable for women. This partnership also allows for shared risk and improved loan management infrastructure. Five, on stakeholder consultation and feedback mechanisms, regular public participation forums and stakeholder engagement sessions are being held to understand the evolving needs of women entrepreneurs. Feedback is being used to inform the development of inclusive products. The Fund is committed to eliminating structural barriers to credit for all women, whether in groups or as individuals. By broadening its approach and product range, the WEF is transforming into a more inclusive and responsive fund aligned with the diverse realities of Kenyan women entrepreneurs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I now seek your guidance whether I have answered Question No.050. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1565995,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565995/?format=api",
"text_counter": 45,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Yes. You may take your seat. I will now allow Sen. Mumma to ask two supplementary questions."
},
{
"id": 1565996,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565996/?format=api",
"text_counter": 46,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mumma",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, and Hon. Cabinet Secretary for the responses. Clearly, there is a lot that is happening around WEF that has potential. We will be engaging a lot more in order for us to advise women around this fund. My first supplementary question is hinged on the fact that economies are going digital. I would want to know why the digitization exercise did not go well with regard to this particular fund. Secondly, I would like to know what is the highest amount lent and defaulted on and by whom? I thank you."
},
{
"id": 1565997,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565997/?format=api",
"text_counter": 47,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond."
},
{
"id": 1565998,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565998/?format=api",
"text_counter": 48,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Hanna Cheptumo",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, and the Member for those two good questions, which informs exactly where we are and the challenges that were faced. On the first question of why digitalization did not go well, it is because of the way the system was put. The amount that was being borrowed through the manual lending was a lot. It was Kshs750,000, but when it went digital, it was Kshs50,000 and most women did not embrace that. There is also the issue of follow-up because a person would borrow and there was no way of tracking the repayment of that money. The second question is which group has the highest amount. There is a group called Pamoja Women Development Programme. The amount which was disbursed is a total of Kshs40 million. On 12th February, 2009, they were given Kshs20 million and on 13th December, 2009, they were given another Kshs20 million. Certainly, from the data that we have, that amount is still outstanding. They went to court and this matter is coming up tomorrow, that is, 23rd May, 2025, when we shall know the verdict. At this point, I would like to usher in the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WEP, so that we can get finer details as to who these people are. It is important that this is disclosed."
},
{
"id": 1565999,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565999/?format=api",
"text_counter": 49,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Cabinet Secretary, under our Standing Orders, your people, officers or staff can only communicate through you. You are the only person who can interact with the Senate. If there is any information you want to share, you can get it from your CEO and make it available to us. However, your staff may not have audience before the House."
},
{
"id": 1566000,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1566000/?format=api",
"text_counter": 50,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Hanna Cheptumo",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I am guided. I will mention the security that is held by the Women Enterprise Fund. We have the security held by Moses Karanja Tutha and Isaac Gitau Kamau. Since this is a matter that is before the court, we may wait to get the verdict from court, and thereafter, we shall communicate the details. We are willing."
},
{
"id": 1566001,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1566001/?format=api",
"text_counter": 51,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Very well, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. I will now call Sen. Wambua to proceed to ask his supplementary question. Senator."
}
]
}