The Cabinet Secretary (CS) of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Wycliffe Oparanya has issued a warning regarding his potential resignation from the cabinet.
During a church service held in South B, Nairobi, on Sunday, August 11, he expressed that he has been attuned to the concerns of the youth across the nation, particularly their urgent requests for assistance. READ FULL STORY
Oparanya acknowledged that the primary challenge facing Generation Z is the scarcity of employment opportunities and the necessary resources to sustain their businesses, vowing to address this pressing issue.
Nevertheless, the Cabinet Secretary indicated that should the government disregard his counsel, he would be compelled to resign and return to his home.
“I see that the young people, Gen Z, are saying that they don’t have businesses and jobs. I am now here, and I will make sure that they get those jobs.
“These people have searched and realized that this old man can help them do the job. I will. But if I tell them to go one direction and they refuse, I will quit and go back home,” he stated.
Before his nomination to the Cabinet, Oparanya was one of the fierce critics of President William Ruto’s administration, and even opposed the Hustler Fund.
However, speaking in Parliament, he acknowledged his earlier criticism of the program, explaining that his views changed after receiving a comprehensive briefing from officials in the Ministry.
Oparanya commended the initiative, suggesting that it has the potential to alleviate poverty if managed effectively.
He added that the program was rushed without adequate legal frameworks.
“I know I was among the people opposed to the hustler fund. I had not known the facts until now when I have been briefed. I think, if well managed, it can take our people out of poverty. The only problem is that the funds were launched in a hurry without proper legal structures in place,” he said.
Oparanya said he plans to create a legal framework that functions similarly to the Fuliza system, which automatically recovers funds upon account replenishment.
“The Treasury allocated Sh13 billion to the Hustler Fund. From those Sh13 billion, because of borrowing, again and again, the turnover has gone to Sh55 billion. Out of Sh55 billion, 21 million people have participated in repeat borrowing. In the process, only Sh43 billion has been recovered. There is Sh12 billion unrecovered,” he said.
Oparanya noted that there is a robust digital infrastructure in place to track the unrecovered funds but stressed the need for a legal framework to address the issue.
“There is a strong digital infrastructure that can determine where the Ksh 12 billion is. The only problem is that there is no legal framework to recover that particular amount,” he said.
