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{
"id": 1564682,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564682/?format=api",
"text_counter": 61,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "In addition to that, the new National Youth Opportunity Towards Advancement (NYOTA) and the Kenya Jobs Economic Transformation (KJET) project are being rolled out this financial year. They target youth, most of whom are young women for economic empowerment through grants, training, access to commercial infrastructure and market linkages. This strengthens women’s participation in high-potential value chains. In response to part (b) of the question, to ensure that women in the marginalised and remote areas are aware of available funding opportunities, the Ministry is spearheading outreach and awareness initiatives. This is done through a multi-sectoral approach, involving other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners and private sector players. The Ministry has put in place a robust Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem to ensure development, growth and scalability of MSMEs. Whereas 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": 1564683,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564683/?format=api",
"text_counter": 62,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "there are many existing interventions from the Government and private actors, their effectiveness has tended to be undermined by the silo manner of operations. The Ministry has embraced the multi-sectoral approach to coordinate the sector and create more synergies and opportunities for leveraging the focus on MSME development. As a result, the Ministry has established a Public-Private sector MSME dialogue, known as MSME Connect. This initiative was launched on 14th March, 2025 in Nairobi. The plan is to go across the country and hold county-level forums that will converge local actors and discuss opportunities, address emerging challenges within the prevailing local context and offer solutions. The next Kenya Public-Private Sector MSME dialogue will be held in June this year in Embu County. Hon. Speaker, the Ministry is embracing joint outreach programmes throughout the Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) while working together with the county governments, national Government administrative officers and respective officers. This is to provide a comprehensive sensitisation programme that outlines opportunities in the entire ecosystem, including financing, capacity building and market linkage. For instance, in April and May, 2025, teams from the Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA), Hustler Fund, Uwezo Fund and KIE held a sensitisation meeting in Kakamega and Marsabit counties. They collaborated with the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), the Office of the Advisor to the President on Women Affairs, the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF), among others. Together, they conducted awareness on economic empowerment opportunities within and outside the Government, including how to access Government procurement opportunities programmes. It is only through such a coordinated approach that the majority of Kenyans at the bottom of the economic pyramid will be reached and linked to opportunities that grow and scale their enterprises. Regarding part (c) of the question, the impact of the Hustler Fund on women entrepreneurs has been considerable, with women accounting for 48 per cent of over the 25 million total borrowers. In addition to enabling over Kshs70 billion circulation into the economy, the Fund has provided a credit card to its beneficiaries to enable them to access credit lines through a dignified manner. As of today, with a credit limit of Kshs500, beneficiaries can confidently have a fallback plan to meet their needs and avoid shame and fear that comes with borrowing. Good borrowers have had an opportunity to grow their credit limits. As of today, we have beneficiaries who are borrowing up to a maximum of Kshs150,000 on the new bridging loan product. The saving component has mobilised over Kshs4 billion in both voluntary and mandatory methods, promoting a saving consciousness culture among Kenyans as a de- risking mechanism to their livelihoods. The credit history of all beneficiaries has been crystallised into a nine-band Hustler Fund behavioural rating system, ranging from A1 to C3 (A1, A2, A3, BI, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3), where A1 is excellent while C3 is very poor rating respectively. We are institutionalising the credit score towards market utilisation to 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": 1564684,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564684/?format=api",
"text_counter": 63,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "accord the highest scorers a soft collateral that will unlock for them access to enhancing financing. Mr. Speaker, Sir, with respect to women, everybody agrees that they are good borrowers and even the banks will tell you as much. However, the good borrowing attributes to women has not found its way to the banks to accord them a preferential access to financing. Our women, regardless of their demonstration of good behaviour, are still subjected to hard collateral such as land title deeds, pay slips and properties, which most have no reach. The Hustler Fund will, therefore, collateralize the good borrowing habit of women to inform their credit worthiness and eventually move to upgrade the market from fixation on hard collateral to soft behaviour, to deepen financial inclusion at the bottom of the economic pyramid and enable majority of our people to be served. A comprehensive socio-economic impact study is in the process to measure long- term effects. Plans to enhance the funds support to women include introducing dynamic loan limit lines to individual repayment behaviour and integrating savings and pension component to build long-term financial resilience among women borrowers. Moving to the next, women entrepreneurs in Kenya face several economic barriers in accessing financial resources, many of which stem from structural inequalities and systems challenges. Among the most prevalent barriers are lack of collateral due to limited asset ownership, limited access to formal financial history, low level of financial literacy and high costs associated with registering and formalizing business. Cultural and societal norms in some regions further restrict women’s participation in the enterprises. Informality remains a major issue as many women operate outside the formal financial systems, which limits their ability to access credit. The response to these economic barriers is as follows. The Ministry has employed a variety of strategies as follows: I have already mentioned about the Hustler Fund that has eliminated traditional requirements like collateral and history, offering loans based on mobile money profiles and repayment behaviour. It also promotes savings and requirement planning through embedded product features. Uwezo Fund supports women participation in local leadership and decision- making by ensuring their representation in the Fund committees and has advocated for simplified business registration process for single business permits. The Fund loan also emphasises capacity building to improve women’s readiness for entrepreneurship and market participation. The Kenya Industrial Estates (KIE) has introduced group guarantee loans using social collateral, allowing women without assets to access credit through mutual trust within groups. The KIE also provides affordable credits with flexible repayment terms and supports mentorship, coaching and exposures to strengthened business acumen. The Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) provides direct grants incubation in Constituency Industrial Development Centres (CIDCs), value chain integration and technical training. The proposed establishment of Women in Business Unit within MSEA is a major policy shift aimed at institutionalizing support for women, 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": 1564685,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564685/?format=api",
"text_counter": 64,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": "addressing access to finance, mentorship, ICT and sustainable business development, while advocating for gender risk on policies and regulatory reforms. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Ministry remains steadfast in its commitment of empowering women entrepreneurs and dismantling barriers to their full participation in Kenya’s economy. Through the coordinated efforts of the state agencies, the Ministry has delivered impressive results and continues to scale efforts through grants, training, financial inclusion, market access and infrastructural support. The Ministry is steadily building a more inclusive MSME sector, where the youth and women are equipped and empowered to be resilient amid Kenya’s evolving economic realities. Going forward, the Ministry will strengthen the institutional framework for supporting women entrepreneurs and aligning these efforts with the national development priorities under the Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). I thank you."
},
{
"id": 1564686,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564686/?format=api",
"text_counter": 65,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " We will take Question No.078 before we come to supplementary questions. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you have already circulated your written response. Try to paraphrase, so that we save on time. Proceed, Sen. Karen Nyamu."
},
{
"id": 1564687,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564687/?format=api",
"text_counter": 66,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Question No.078"
},
{
"id": 1564688,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564688/?format=api",
"text_counter": 67,
"type": "heading",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "OPERATIONALISATION OF THE DEPOSIT GUARANTEE FUND AND THE INTEGRATED DIGITAL LENDING PLATFORMS FOR COOPERATIVES"
},
{
"id": 1564689,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564689/?format=api",
"text_counter": 68,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Nyamu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to welcome to the Senate the hon. Cabinet Secretary. These are my questions- (a) What initiatives is the Ministry undertaking to foster the growth and resilience of youth and women-led MSMEs amidst the current economic climate and how are these programmes are aimed at improving the representation and benefits in the sector? (b) Could the Cabinet Secretary indicate when the Deposit Guarantee Fund and the integrated digital lending platforms for cooperatives will become operational and outline the measures in place to protect members’ savings and to harmonize cooperative policies across counties to ensure a consistent policy framework and promote intergovernmental cooperation? (c) What measures are being implemented to ensure the timely remittance of members’ contributions to Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (SACCOs), especially in light of persistent financial mismanagement that, according to the Government, has resulted in Kshs600 million in unpaid SACCO deductions from county governments and universities?"
},
{
"id": 1564690,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564690/?format=api",
"text_counter": 69,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may now proceed to respond. 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": 1564691,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1564691/?format=api",
"text_counter": 70,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think I have already responded to the first question that the Member has asked. If she looks at my detailed response that was comprehensively covered."
}
]
}