Beneficiaries of Uwezo Fund kitty from Ndaragwa Constituency, Nyandarua County have been urged to repay the loans on time to increase their credit worthiness.
The call was made by Nyandarua North Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Walter Ngaira, Ndaragwa MP George Gachagua and Nyandarua County Director of Youth Affairs John Muthee Kariuki.
Speaking at the Constituency NG-CDF offices at Mutanga, during Sh930,000 Uwezo Fund cheques disbursement to 13 women and youth groups from Ndaragwa Constituency, the leaders urged the beneficiaries to ensure they repay the money within the stipulated time so as to qualify for more.
The DCC said chiefs and their assistants would sensitize the beneficiary groups on the need to repay the money.
“We shall use the public barazas to talk to the youths to apply for the Uwezo funds. We have realized the youth are shying away from the funding but we have decided we shall use the chiefs and social settings to tell the success stories of the beneficiaries and we believe that might encourage more youths in Ndaragwa to apply for Uwezo funds, Hustler groups funding or any other funding meant for uplifting the youths as the President has been promising,” said DCC Ngaira
Gachagua, on his part, said he would use various tactics, including topping the amount each group repays within the stipulated period, to entice the groups to repay money from the Fund.
“We have issued bank cheques to women and youth groups from Uwezo Funds. We have realized the uptake is so low and so is the repayment. The low uptake can be associated with this area being a hardship area despite it being in Nyandarua.
“We are pushing through parliament for Ndaragwa to be gazetted as a hardship area so that apart from this funding, we can enjoy extra goodies from the government like other hardship areas do,” said Ndaragwa MP Gachagua.
Beneficiaries have a grace period of six months and repayment period of two years.
At 29 percent repayment, Ndaragwa Constituency is rated lowly in the Fund money repayment among the five sub-counties of Nyandarua County.
The County Director of Youth Affairs said Sh100 million has so far been given out in Nyandarua since inception of the Fund 10 years ago.
Acting Ndaragwa Youth Officer, Stella Moraa, said Sh24 million has been disbursed in the Constituency since the establishment of the Fund in 2013. She said only Sh 9 million of that money has been repaid.
The speakers decried the low uptake of the money by youths in Ndaragwa constituency. Leshau location chief, Wanjiru Mutahi challenged women to be role models in use of money gotten from the Fund so as to make youths attracted.
By Antony Mwangi
