Hustler Fund Defaulters to Face Tracking via National ID Records, CEO Warns
The Kenyan government is intensifying efforts to recover outstanding loans from the Hustler Fund by tracing defaulters through their National ID records.
Hustler Fund CEO Henry Tanui made the revelation on March 5, 2026, while appearing before the National Assembly Special Funds Accounts Committee. He emphasized that borrowers cannot evade repayment by changing phone numbers or discarding SIM cards, as all loans are linked to personal identification details provided during registration, including geographical location information.
Since its launch by President William Ruto on November 30, 2022, the Hustler Fund—a key component of the Financial Inclusion initiative—has disbursed approximately KSh 83 billion in affordable credit at an 8% annual interest rate to millions of small-scale entrepreneurs, traders, and ordinary citizens. Out of this, KSh 71 billion has been repaid, leaving about KSh 12 billion still outstanding. Around 20 million Kenyans have registered for the program, and authorities have secured approval from the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to access relevant records for monitoring repayment behavior and pursuing evaders.
In a stern message, CEO Tanui declared: “The young people who think that they can borrow money from the government and disappear, they can't, because we know how we will get you.” He added that the National ID linkage allows the government to pinpoint borrowers' locations based on details submitted during onboarding. The government insists no overall losses have occurred yet and remains confident in recovering the full amount to sustain the revolving fund, amid ongoing concerns about repayment discipline and the program's long-term viability.
