DP Gachagua slams Senator Sifuna for 'inciting' Kenyans to default Hustler Fund loans

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired back at Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna for advising Kenyans to default on repaying the Hustler Fund loans.

Speaking in Murang’a on Saturday, the Deputy President went bare-knuckled at Sifuna accusing him of incitement and spreading retrogressive politics.

He downplayed the Senator’s remarks saying they did not reflect his status quo as an elected leader.

"Nimeona huyu Senator was Azimio huko Nairobi akiambia watu wa Azimio ati wakope hiyo pesa na wasilipe ati wakule. Sasa, si hiyo ni ujinga?” Gachagua posed.

“If you find a leader anasimama, na ni kiongozi amechaguliwa, na anaambia wananchi ati kopa pesa na usilipe, huyo ni kiongozi kweli? Hao viongozi wa Azimio wamepotea...that is the kind of retrogressive politics ilifanya sisi tukatae hiyo mambo ya Azimio.”

DP Gachagua went on to tell off Azimio leaders who had been criticizing the Kenya Kwanza pilot project and rbbishing off the minimum Ksh.500 to maximum of Ksh.50,000 allocation as of no consequential value to ordinary Kenyans.

The DP labelled the leaders as “ignorant” as he cited cases of local vendors to demonstrate how Ksh.1,000 was capable of changing people's lives.

 “Wale watu wanaongea kwa TV kuongea mambo ya Hustlers Fund, mtoke kwa TV mkuje huku ground mpate ya kwamba Ksh.1,000 inaweza inua na kubadilisha maishaya  mwananchi wa kawaida,” the DP said.

“Mtu ambaye ako na biashara ya mtura, Ksh.1,000 inampatia stock ya siku tatu na anapata faida.”

He thus advised residents to heed President William Ruto’s plea of settling their debts in order to help the country move forward.

"Sisi ni wangwana...dawa ya kukopa ni kulipa. Mkope hiyo pesa na ulipe. Ndio ukope kesho yake na wiki ijayo. Na rafiki yako pia akope," he said.

Sifuna had earlier taken to social media to accuse President Ruto of failing to honour his campaign promises and urged his supporters to embrace the Hustler Funds as grants rather than loans.

"Help Ruto keep his own promises. Convert that loan into the grant he promised. He will do you nothing. Happy Sabbath," he wrote on Twitter.

The lawmaker, in a past interview with Citizen TV, also opined that the Kenya Kwanza administration promised grants during campaigns and not loans, therefore Kenyans are not supposed to repay them.

"This is not what was promised during the campaign. During the campaign, the hustlers were told that they would be receiving a grant which would not be subject to any interest for them to support their businesses," Sifuna said on Thursday.

"What was launched is essentially a government-run Fuliza that you can access and pay within 14 days.”

The recently rolled out Hustler Fund, which is one of President Ruto's key campaign pledges, is a digital lending system that gives Kenyans access to financing at an 8 per cent pro-rated basis or a daily rate of 0.002 per cent.