By KPC Reporter

Obuba Ondieki of Nyamemiso village, Kisii County was busy with his chores one day when he received a call from a strange number.

He picked the call and the caller was jovial like a long time acquaintance.

On the other end was Kenya’s president, William Ruto.

“I did not expect the jovial phone call from the president and I instantly thought it was going to change my life for the better,” Ondieki recalls.

The brief conversation occurred more than a year ago.

Ondieki’s life has not changed for the better but is now characterized with further misery and tears.

On November 8, 2023, Ruto reportedly placed a call to Ondieki to praise him for having utilized the Hustler Fund well.

“He interrogated me and congratulated me for the resilience I had put by borrowing to improve my economic situation,” Ondieki said in an interview.

“The president told me that there would later be held the first anniversary of the fund and that he would reward me that time. That promise never came to pass.”

Address in Parliament

A day after the rare phone call, the president addressed parliament on, among other things, the success of the Hustler Fund and why Kenyans at the bottom of the economic pyramid needed to take it seriously.

He further highlighted the name of Ondieki as one of the good Kenyans who had borrowed up to Sh1.7 million from the kitty.

“The Hustler Fund has exceeded expectations. By the end of October (2023), the Fund had disbursed Sh36.6 billion with Sh2.3 billion in savings and Sh7.5 million recorded as repeat borrowers whose repayment was at 73 per cent,” the President said during his address.

He explained that the top borrower, as at then, had accessed a total of Sh4.5 million in 816 transactions.

Loan limit

At the time, many Kenyans were reporting an average loan limit of Sh500 from the Hustler Fund and therefore doubted the possibility of someone borrowing millions from the kitty.

KPC met Ondieki, who confirmed having spoken with the President and that he was able to grow his loan limit after repeat transactions.

“Life changed for worse after I spoke with the president. People heard about it and have since believed that I have a lot of money,” he says.

“I am a skilled plumber but people have stopped giving me an opportunity to work and earn a living.”

The people, he explained, discriminate him from getting job opportunities on grounds that there are other poorer Kenyans who are more deserving.

The promise of a gift from the president too did not materialize, he said.

“Life has become very difficult and 2024 was the worst year in my life. I cannot even feed my family. I am requesting that I be helped,” he said.

“Let everyone know that, yes, I talked to the president and he gave me a promise, which has never materialized. Life would not have remained the same if I had money,” said Ondieki.

The tribulations

He recounted how his mother fell sick and died in December 2024.

He was unable to properly take her for medication and even offer her a decent burial when she passed on.

His relatives accused him of pretending not to have money even when his own mother needed the same to access quality healthcare.

“My brothers have distanced themselves from me!” he said.

Even so, Ondieki says that he sold “everything” to help his mother to the best of his ability and has remained a pauper.

Ondieki explained that he is still stuck at home due to lack of opportunities

“Whoever has tiling and plumbing tasks may invite me so that I can earn something and take my children to school,” he said.

His other plea is that the president locates him with “his promise” to him.

Ondieki can no longer borrow from the Hustler Fund because he is unable to repay the current loan.

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 was launched on November 20, 2022 but is lately reporting high default rates by Kenyans.