Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has addressed controversial remarks made by Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura regarding access to Social Health Authority (SHA) services by Hustler Fund defaulters.
Speaking in an interview on Monday, June 23, Mwaura had suggested that Kenyans who defaulted on Hustler Fund loans would be barred from accessing SHA benefits.
"If you took a Hustler Fund loan and defaulted, we will make arrangements to ensure that you don't get Social Health Authority (SHA) benefits because you must pay your loan; a total of Ksh6 billion in defaulted loans is a lot of money," he said.
However, responding to the remarks, Duale dismissed Mwaura’s statement and reiterated the government's commitment to health coverage.
"The information is inaccurate. All Kenyans have a right to access Social Health Authority (SHA) services regardless of their engagement with Hustler Fund," the CS stated.
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This comes a month after Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Principal Secretary Susan Mang'eni revealed that the Hustler Fund lost Ksh6 billion borrowed by over 10 million Kenyans in 2022.
Speaking on Wednesday, May 21, while appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, she said borrowers have failed to repay Hustler Fund loans, despite having taken the money over two years ago.
Mang'eni announced that the government is considering writing off the Ksh6 billion defaulted loans.
“They never repaid, and that's what we will be seeking to write off. The portfolio that is totally at risk and is in default is between Ksh5 billion and Ksh6 billion,” she said.
However, Mang'eni noted that the government will institute mechanisms to try and recover the loans.
“Since we had graded these people, we are going to institute a mechanism of recovery through incentives and certain sanctions, like locking them from accessing other enhanced opportunities.
“If we were to do forceful recovery again, the challenge will be the law, so we are looking at the law to see at what point we will introduce forceful recovery,” she stated.
