This archive report was first published on 20 August 2020.
Published on August 20, 2020
Mobile lenders have left many Kenyan youth in a debt trap, with some unable to receive their Kazi Mtaani stipends due to outstanding loans with Fuliza, a Safaricom product.
Beneficiaries are paid a weekly stipend of Sh1,000 by the State Department of Interior and Co-ordination of the National Government through M-Pesa.
However, the project has been marred by protests over pay in Murang'a, Isiolo, and Mvita, with some youth resorting to registering with different cell phone numbers to evade automatic loan deductions.
According to a report by the National Assembly Committee on Labour and Social Services, some beneficiaries used IDs belonging to other family members, resulting in pay delays.
Principal Secretary Charles Hinga has assured the youth that county implementation committees will capture their details, including name, ID, and phone numbers, which will be verified against returns from the paying agency.
Payments for workers under the Kazi Mtaani programme are made via mobile money, and it has been noted that some workers' details may have had errors which resulted in their payments not going through, Mr Hinga said.
