This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
It has been over a year since the launch of a Sh150 million loan fund in Garissa County, aimed at benefiting women, youth, and people living with disabilities. However, the fund remains unused, with only Sh10 million deposited into the account.
According to a report tabled in the County Assembly, the remaining Sh140 million has never been deposited, and therefore, could not be utilised or disbursed to targeted beneficiaries.
The report showed that 85 per cent of the funds was to be allocated for direct disbursement to the beneficiaries, while 10 per cent was to go to operations of the fund's programmes, and 3 per cent was meant for administrative costs.
Despite receiving 2,406 applications ready for vetting and disbursement process, no amount has so far been disbursed to the targeted beneficiaries for the financial year ending 30th June 2019 as well as the 30th June 2020.
Adow Jubat, the CEC in charge of Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Development, responded to the assembly, stating that the ground had been laid for the disbursement of the funds. However, he appeared to blame his Treasury counterpart Roble Nunow for the delay, citing lack of response to official correspondences requesting for approval and opening of special accounts at local commercial banks.
The report indicated that the fund, which had been allocated and appropriated by the assembly for the financial year ending June 30, 2020, had already been reallocated to finance other equally competing activities by the county treasury.
When the fund was launched in June last year, Governor Ali Korane stated that youth and women would greatly benefit from the revolving fund.
