Youth, women urged to take advantage of government funds to do business

Youth and women have been urged to embrace entrepreneurship in order to fight unemployment.

North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood and Meru County Woman Representative Florence Kajuju have urged the two groups to use the various revolving funds from the governments to start and build businesses.

Speaking at Kamunde Hall on Monday December 22, 2014 after they issued Uwezo Fund cheques worth Sh8.6 million to 110 groups from North Imenti, the two legislators said youth and women are the core drivers of the county's economy.

“I urge the two groups to come up with diverse and viable ideas so that they benefit from this government fund.

This will improve their livelihoods and subsequently the economy of the whole county,” Mr Dawood said.

FUNDS NOT FULLY UTILISED

The MP noted that in the past, such funds had not been used to the maximum and were returned unused and asked more groups to register and take up the monies.

“We don’t want the money returned. The money that has been disbursed to Meru County should be borrowed by any of the qualified groups,” he said.

Ms Kajuju urged the government to consider raising the loans’ ceiling adding that the funds may fail to achieve their objective if the matter was not addressed.

Although disbursement of the fund was still at its initial stages, she noted, there was a need to have more money allocated to the various groups so that they can achieve their targets.

Some groups have claimed that the maximum amount to be awarded to youth and women groups had been set at Sh100,000.

They said the ceiling, contained in a circular dated November 24, 2014 was contrary to the Uwezo Fund Act, 2014, which put Sh500,000 as the maximum amount to be awarded to groups.

“We, however, understand that there is more planning that needs to be done and I urge the various groups to accept the amount given to them as we await for more structural policies to have the amount increased,” Ms Kajuju said.