aBOUT UWEZO FUND
The Uwezo Fund is a flagship programme for vision 2030 aimed at enabling women, youth and persons with disability access finances to promote businesses and enterprises at the constituency level, thereby enhancing economic growth towards the realization of the same and the Millennium Development Goals No.1 (eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) and 3 (promote gender equality and empower women). The Fund was launched by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya on 8th September 2013 and enacted through a Legal Notice No. 21 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2014, and published on 21st February, 2014.
The Fund seeks to expand access to finances and promote women, youth and persons living with disability led enterprises at the constituency level. It also provides mentorship opportunities to enable the beneficiaries take advantage of the 30% government procurement preference through its Capacity Building Programme. Uwezo Fund, therefore, is an avenue for incubating enterprises, catalyzing innovation, promoting industry, creating employment, and growing the economy
OBJECTIVES OF THE FUND
The objective for which the Fund was established are: -
- to expand access to finances in promotion of youth and women businesses and enterprises at the constituency level for economic growth towards the realization of the goals of Vision 2030;
- to generate gainful self- employment for the youth and women; and
- to model an alternative framework in funding community driven development.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE FUND
The guiding principles of Uwezo Fund are:- Representation: to ensure the inclusion of all eligible Kenyans including women, youth and persons with disabilities. Elected parliamentary representatives and respective government officials must be involved in the fund management and administration to ensure transparency and equity.
- Accountability: to ensure government is held responsible to the citizenry for its decisions and actions.
- Accessibility: guaranteeing accessibility at the lowest level of engagement and for the largest category of recipients using a simple, structured and least cost approach.
- Economy: use of the best but least cost mechanism to achieve the desired objectives.
Eligibility Criteria for Applicants.
Applicants shall qualify for Fund loan application if
(a) For a group
- Is registered with the department of social services, Cooperatives or the Registrar of Societies
- Has members aged between 18 and 35 years whereas the women’s groups shall be made up of women aged eighteen years and above
- Is based and operational at the constituency it seeks to make an application for consideration
- Operates a table banking structure or any other group fund structure where members make monthly contributions according to the groups’ internal guidelines (evidence of monthly contributions shall be a requirement);
- Hold a bank account in the name of the group.
(b) For an institution
- Is a registered entity
- Has listed youth and women groups within it.
How to apply
Step 1: Ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria above
Step 2: Fill in an application form (available from the Constituency Uwezo Fund Management Committee office,CDF Offices or download form from
Step 3: Submit the application form together with relevant documents to the Constituency Uwezo Fund Management Committee office
Step 4: Await notification from the committee
ELIGIBLE AMOUNT
(a) For administration of the Fund:-
- The access by eligible groups of the Fund, shall be on a first come first served basis, subject to assessment and approval of the loan, provided that the Committee shall ensure equitable distribution of funds in the wards
- Eligible qualifying amounts for a group shall be a minimum of fifty thousand 50,000) and a maximum of five hundred thousand (500,000) shillings at any one time.
(b) In determining the total amount a group is eligible to receive, the following criteria shall be applied:-
- The length of time the group has been in existence
- The total amount contributed by the group
- The current status of contribution and
- The proposed business plan for the loan applied
NB: The eligible amount shall be three times the group savings BUT it shall not be:-
- Below Kshs. 50,000 (Minimum),
- More than the amount applied for in the application form and
- More than Kshs. 500,000 (Maximum)
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