President William Ruto during MSME day celebrations at KICC on Saturday, June 27, 2026/PCS
President William Ruto has said the government has disbursed close to Sh90 billion through the Hustler Fund to more than 27 million Kenyans, describing the programme as part of wider efforts to expand access to finance for small businesses and individuals traditionally excluded from formal lending.
Speaking during the 2026 World MSME Day celebrations at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Saturday, the President said the fund was designed to unlock economic opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) while supporting financial inclusion.
Ruto said the government’s intervention had gone beyond lending and had also encouraged a culture of saving among beneficiaries.
“Through the Hustler Fund, we have disbursed close to Sh90 billion to more than 27 million Kenyans and mobilised over Sh6 billion in savings from citizens the banking system had long written off,” he said.
The President linked the programme to broader reforms aimed at making financing more accessible to ordinary Kenyans and small enterprises.
According to Ruto, the government has also moved to address challenges associated with credit exclusion, including negative listing that locked many citizens out of formal financial services.
He said more than eight million Kenyans who had been negatively listed had been allowed to rebuild their financial standing.
“We have also given more than eight million negatively listed Kenyans a second chance. Already, over two million have rebuilt their credit standing and rejoined the formal economy,” he said.
The President added that the government is now developing a National Credit Score framework intended to expand access to borrowing by recognising repayment behaviour and financial discipline instead of relying solely on traditional forms of collateral.
“Character and behaviour, not just a title deed or a logbook, should unlock financing,” he said.
Ruto said the measures form part of a wider strategy to strengthen Kenya’s MSME sector, which he described as central to economic growth and job creation.
According to the President, MSMEs account for 98 per cent of businesses in Kenya, create more than 90 per cent of non-farm employment, and contribute over 40 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
He said the government had introduced additional reforms intended to reduce barriers to entrepreneurship, including the digitisation of public services and lower registration costs.
Ruto noted that more than 25,800 public services are currently available through the citizen platform and said the cost of registering a company had dropped from Sh50,000 to about Sh11,000.
He also pointed to efforts to simplify business licensing across counties and support youth entrepreneurship through government-backed initiatives.
Despite the progress, the President acknowledged that access to affordable financing remains one of the biggest constraints facing small businesses.
He said Kenya’s MSME financing gap currently stands at about Sh3 trillion and called for stronger participation by private sector lenders to complement government interventions.
“Government funds can catalyse and prepare our people for credit. But government alone cannot close a Sh3 trillion financing gap,” Ruto said.
