Financial Inclusion Fund (Hustler Fund)

Supports Kenyan entrepreneurs through small-business finance and financial inclusion products aimed at households, groups, and micro enterprises.

Kenya's Financial Inclusion Fund, better known as Hustler Fund, is a national microcredit facility under the State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development in the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development. Launched in November 2022, it uses USSD on major mobile networks and mobile-money disbursement to reach individuals, groups, and small businesses. The fund has disbursed more than KES 84 billion to over 27 million borrowers.

Its products are loans, not grants. The portfolio includes a Personal Loan for individuals, a Group Loan for chamas and registered groups, and a Bridge Loan for small businesses. Public reporting puts the personal-loan ceiling at up to KES 150,000, the bridge-loan ceiling at up to KES 2.5 million, and the interest rate at 8% a year. A 5% mandatory savings deduction is built into each borrowing.

The fund is a fit for borrowers with thin collateral but an active repayment trail, because credit history substitutes for physical security. It is designed for rapid access and working-capital relief rather than project finance or competitive grants. Applicants who repay cleanly can move to higher limits, which makes the product ladder more useful than a one-off advance.