Hustler Fund

Hustler Fund

Supports Kenyan entrepreneurs, groups, and small businesses with mobile-delivered microcredit for working capital and growth.

The Financial Inclusion Fund, widely known as the Hustler Fund, is a Kenyan government-backed microcredit facility launched in November 2022 by President William Ruto to expand financial access for individuals, groups, and small businesses that lack traditional collateral. The program operates exclusively via mobile USSD access (*254#) on Safaricom, Telkom, and Airtel networks, with disbursements through mobile money — enabling rapid, paperless credit delivery to underserved Kenyans. Borrowers are assessed on their mobile credit record rather than payslips, title deeds, or logbooks. Three distinct products serve different segments: a Personal Loan (KES 500–150,000), a Group Loan for registered chamas and micro-enterprises (up to KES 1 million), and a Bridge Loan for qualifying small businesses (up to KES 2.5 million). Interest is charged at 8% per annum, prorated to the loan term. A mandatory 5% savings deduction is applied to each disbursement — 70% held in a long-term pension-like account, 30% accessible short-term. By early 2026, over 27 million Kenyans had enrolled and more than KES 84 billion had been disbursed cumulatively.

The Hustler Fund is administered by the national government and subject to annual audit by Kenya's Auditor-General; reporting covers the government's July–June fiscal year. Eligibility is open to Kenyan residents with an active mobile number on a participating network; the absence of traditional collateral requirements and the all-digital application process are deliberate design choices to reach the informal sector. Coverage extends to for-profit micro-enterprises, groups (chamas), and — per the structured eligibility — non-profits, universities, and research organisations, though the core target is informal and micro-business operators.

This program is a loan facility, not a grant: all disbursements are repayable with interest. It functions as a rolling, continuously open enrolment program rather than a competitive funding round, with no fixed application deadline or pool cap. Applicants seeking non-repayable grant funding should note that no grant component has been identified within the Hustler Fund structure.