The government has disbursed more than Sh8.1 billion to groups since the inception of the Uwezo Fund kitty.
The funds have benefited over 86,000 groups comprising women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs) across the 290 constituencies.
The least amount issued to a group is Sh50,000, while the maximum allocation stands at Sh500,000.
The national repayment rate for the zero-interest loans currently stands at 43 per cent, with the best-performing constituency recording a repayment rate of more than 90 per cent.
Uwezo Fund Manager in charge of Capacity Building and Linkages James Donge disclosed the figures to KNA, noting that women groups performed better in loan repayment compared to youth and PWD groups.
He said the fund has transformed livelihoods since its inception in the 2014/2015 financial year, enabling many women beneficiaries to educate their children and grow businesses, particularly through table banking initiatives.
“We have women who have established business structures and others who have educated their children abroad through proceeds from the fund,” he said.
In Teso North Constituency, the kitty has supported 414 groups, including 150 youth groups, 254 women groups and 10 PWD groups. The constituency currently records a repayment rate of 54 per cent.
Donge added that the fund has introduced a labour mobility product that supports groups of five youths through the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) to secure employment opportunities abroad.
So far, 221 youth have benefited from the programme, receiving funding totalling more than Sh36 million, with most travelling to countries such as Dubai and Russia for work.
He spoke during a three-day Teso North Constituency youth conference held at Chemasiri Technical and Vocational College (TVC), which ended on Saturday.
The conference, organized by Teso North Member of Parliament Oku Kaunya, was themed “Empowering youth through skills, knowledge and sustainable opportunities”.
At the close of the event, the MP announced that more than 1,035 youths had registered for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), while 1,000 signed up for Chinese and German language training.
“Another 882 youth expressed interest in overseas employment opportunities during the conference,” he added.
He also said that Chemasiri TVC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Signet Institute Australia to serve as a training centre for the Australian curriculum in Western Kenya, aligning the workforce with global market demands.
By Moses Wekesa
