Principal Secretary Susan Auma has issued a stark warning to Hustler Fund defaulters, affirming that the government has robust credit profiles and will not hesitate to enforce loan repayment, especially where public funds are involved.
Highlights:
- Government now tracks Hustler Fund borrowers via enhanced credit profiling.
- PS Auma labels non-payment of public loans as misappropriation.
- Defaulters without means to repay are encouraged to be honest.
- Auma warns: “We’ll catch up with you—mkono wa serikali ni mrefu.”
Main Story:
Speaking recently, Principal Secretary Susan Auma revealed that the Hustler Fund initiative now includes comprehensive credit profiling. “The good thing is that we have established credit profiles, we know these people, we know where they are,” she said, highlighting the government’s capability to monitor borrowers.
Auma was firm in her view that refusing to repay a public loan amounts to misappropriating public resources. She emphasized that borrowing from a public fund brings with it a civic duty to repay. “It is a misappropriation of public resources,” she stressed, underscoring the seriousness of the offense.
The Principal Secretary made a clear distinction between honest inability to repay and willful defaulting. “You would rather say I don’t even have means to pay,” she noted, urging borrowers to be forthright if they genuinely lack the capacity to repay. However, she cautioned that those declaring “we borrowed, we’ll not pay” will face consequences.
PS Auma ended her address with a potent message: “Mkono wa serikali ni mrefu”—the government’s reach is long. This serves as both reassurance and warning that defaulters won’t evade accountability.
With clear warning and strengthened oversight, PS Auma’s message echoes loud and clear: borrowing public money comes with responsibility—and the government won’t let defaulters slip away.
