FAQs

• The Hustler Fund is a digital financial inclusion initiative designed to improve financial access to responsible finance for personal, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya.
• The fund brings you credit to where you are – transforms credit into "credit on the go".

The Hustler Fund is a creation of the draft Public Finance Management (Financial Inclusion Fund) Regulations, 2022.

• The Hustler fund is important because it provides access to responsible finance for personal, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by innovating, developing, and deploying bottom-of-the-pyramid financial services and products that are affordable, accessible, and appropriate for the unserved and underserved persons, including credit, saving, insurance, pension, and investment products.
• It is envisaged that the fund will help to improve financial access and reduce poverty.

The Hustler fund will work in two ways:

• By providing a digital platform where people find the best deals on financial products; secondly,
• By developing a series of digital tools and resources to help people understand and manage their finances better.

The Hustler fund is accessible through the USSD and mobile APP platforms of any of the Mobile Network Operators in Kenya.

• The loan limits for this product will be a minimum of KSh. 100 up to a maximum that will be determined by the borrower's credit score and capped at KSh. 50,000.
• The increase in limit will be dependent on the individual customer's performance on consistent loan borrowing and repayment on time.
• The limit shall be reviewed and adjusted based on the borrowing and repayment history of previous Hustler Fund loans taken.   

• The loan interest rate is capped at 8% per annum computed on a pro-rated basis.  

Approved loan will be disbursed to your Mobile Money account     

Out of the total approved loan amount, disbursement 95% shall be deposited to your Mobile Money wallet, and the remaining 5% shall be deposited to your savings account scheme of the fund.

5% of your loan will go into a savings scheme

The savings scheme will split savings into 70% pension and 30% Lock savings account i.e., 70% of the 5% will go into (Pension) and 30% of the 5% will go into Lock savings account.

 Example: Customer borrows KSh. 1,000

• KSh 50 (5%*1,000) will go to their savings account as below.
• KSh 35 (70%*50) - Will go to Pension account
• KSh 15 (30%*50) - Will go to Lock savings account 

 All eligible customers can access the Personal Loan by dialing *254# or through the Hustler Fund mini app on the mobile money app.

No reversal: customer will just have to repay the loan

• Loan repayment will be made from your Mobile Money account i.e., Self-payment.
  • You can repay your loan via *254#> Repay Loan> Pay for Self-> Full Amount/ Partial
  • You can also repay your loan on the mini-App

• Yes, you can pay for another person/or line via *254#>Repay Loan>pay for other>add number and ID>amount>PIN
• You can also repay loan for another person on the mini app under pay for other.

• Yes, you can pay loan for another person/or line even when not registered to Hustler Fund via *254#>Pay for Other >add number and ID>amount>PIN  and using the mini app too.

• No, you can make a partial repayment for other.

• Yes, you can input the cents when repaying the loan.

• Development still in progress to enable customers to pay back for their loan or someone’s else loan using FULIZA limit.

• No, you cannot.

• A loan is attached to ID and the Mobile number. There is a process that assist with change of ownership like what we have for KCB -M-PESA and M-Shwari.

• No, you can only register one MSISDN for the service. You will receive a notification saying you are already registered on another network

• No, it will not. If the beneficiary has Fuliza, Fuliza will be suspended for 24hrs to allow beneficiaries to access and use the received funds. Failure to utilize the funds within 24 hours then it will be used to repay Fuliza once the payment has been triggered by receiving funds into your account.

This is a Hustler Fund product that allows members to access loans in groups from the government at an affordable interest rate.

The product can be accessed via USSD *254#. The product will be available on the Hustler fund mini-App later

No, the product allows unregistered and registered groups under MSEA to be onboarded. During opt-in registered groups will select MSEA while unregistered will use the Unregistered/Create group option.

The person creating the group will have to select their role from the three roles available Chairperson, Secretary, or Treasurer. So it is only an official that can create the group and invite group members.

• Member must be a Kenyan citizen of 18 years of age and above
• Member must be registered on mobile money using a National ID card
• Member must have had an active SIM card for at least 90 days
• Members must accept the Terms and Conditions and the group invitations to opt-in.

The group must have a minimum number of 10 members and a maximum of 100 members.

A group should have the following characteristics:

• The group name should have a minimum of 4 characters.
• Minimum members of 10 and the maximum is 100 members.
• Group members can be male or female.
• Groups should consist of members registered under the same mobile network provider i.e. If a group is created on the Safaricom network all members of the group should be registered on M-PESA.
• A group must have three officials.

         Currently, we have four different loan products under Hustler funds. These are

The Bridge Loan is a Hustler Fund product designed for reliable Hustler Fund borrowers who have a proven track record of timely repayments. It offers enhanced loan limits, longer repayment period and structured savings opportunities to reward good repayment behaviour.

By rewarding responsible borrowing, encouraging savings, and providing a pathway for defaulters to improve, the Bridge Loan supports broader financial inclusion and fosters long-term financial stability.

The design and implementation of the Bridge Loan are based on insights from Hustler Fund borrower’s behaviour. These data-driven insights will continue to shape the product and inform future financial solutions.

The interest rate for the Bridge Loan product is as follows:

• 8% per annum for the first 30 days.
• From day 31 onwards, the interest rate is 9.5% per annum.

When a loan is approved, 95% of the loan amount is sent directly to the borrower’s M-PESA account, while the remaining 5% is allocated to savings.

• Must be a repeat borrower.
• Should have a good repayment history.
• Requires a favourable Hustler rating of A or B (where A is the highest rating, B is moderate, and C is the lowest).

All eligible customers can access the Bridge Loan by dialing *254# or through the Hustler Fund mini app on the mobile money app.

• After opting in, you will receive an SMS confirming your successful registration and your new loan limit.
• Alternatively, you can check your limit by:
  • Dialing *254# and selecting Check Limit under Bridge Loan.
  • Viewing it on the Hustler Fund mini-app.

No, you must first repay any outstanding Hustler Fund personal loan to access the Bridge loan.

No, you must first repay any outstanding Bridge loan before being eligible to request for a personal loan.

No, you must repay any outstanding loan in full before requesting another loan, regardless of whether you have utilized your entire limit.

Borrowers who fail to repay within the 30-day term will incur an additional 1.5% interest per annum in the outstanding balance. They may also need to improve their repayment habits to regain eligibility for future loans.

Encourages financial discipline, Helps build an emergency fund and supports long-term financial planning and security.

Upon disbursement, 5% of the loan amount is deducted upfront and allocated as follows:

• 1.5% to short-term savings.
• 3.5% to long-term savings.

Bridge Savings and Personal Savings will be merged into a single Savings Account. However, these savings will not be accessible under the Bridge Loan.

• Via USSD: Dial *254#, select Hustler Fund, then choose Savings to check your balance.
• On the app: Access the Hustler Fund mini app to view your balance, with an option to hide or unhide it.

In case of any queries and more information,

• Call 100 or 200.
• Visit Safaricom Shop
• Twitter:  @Safaricom_Care and @SafaricomPLC
• Facebook: @SafaricomPLC
• Email: customercare@safaricom.co.ke

• Customers will earn interest on their short-term savings balance
• The government will match pension contributions on a 2:1 ratio up to a maximum of Ksh.3,000 per annum

Two ways of savings:

• When you request a loan.
• Deposit /sending directly to your savings from your Mobile Money wallet.

Please note in both instances the 70% and 30% split will apply i.e., 70% of the amount will be deposited into long-term savings (pension scheme) and 30% into short-term savings

• Customer can only access the short-term savings to access your short-term savings:
  • Customer must have cleared repaying their full loan or
  • Repay 30% of the loan borrowed. 
  • Example: If Customer borrowed KSh 1,000, they should have repaid KSh 300 (30%*1,000)

• 5% of your loan will go into your Savings as below:
• 70% of the 5% will go into long term Savings (Pension) and 30% of the 5% will go into short term savings
  • e.g., if you borrow KSh 1,000 KSh 50 i.e. (5% *1,000) will go into your savings as below
  • KSh 35 (70% *50) – Will go to your pension account that is within the Hustler Fund
  • KSh 15 (30% * 50) – Will go into your short-term savings account that is within the Hustler Fund

Using USSD:

• Customer will dial *254#
• Select the option for Savings
• Select Check Balance
• Enter Mobile Money PIN
• You will receive an SMS message with your Loan balance

On App

• This will be displayed on the Hustler Fund app with an option to hide or unhide

• You will get a mini statement that shows the last 5 transactions
• You can access this either through the App or USSD under savings

You can opt-out of the Hustler funds loan, but you will still have the option to continue saving on the service

You can do any number of deposits into your savings.

You can deposit any amount into your savings.

No limit on the number of times you can withdraw so long as you have the amount available

Your savings will still be retained for 365days, and you will still be able to view and continue saving