Q. How does one apply for the fund?
Answer
Meet the eligibility criteria, get an application form from NGCDF or the Sub-County Youth Development Officer’s office, fill out the form and return it to the office with all the requirements.
You can also access the loan application form from our website www.uwezo.go.ke .
Q. Of what importance is the Capacity building programme and who will run it?
Answer
Capacity building is aimed at training the fund beneficiaries on General information about the Uwezo Fund, Business Development Services, and mentoring Table Banking, and Access to Government Procurement Opportunities.
- To create awareness of the Uwezo Fund.
- To facilitate youth, women, and PWDS to form businesses.
- To enhance youth, women, and PWDS entrepreneurship capacity.
- To facilitate fund beneficiaries to access government procurement opportunities.
- To link youth, women, and PWDs owned enterprises with corporate businesses and form forward market linkages for collaboration and support
The Capacity Building Programme will be run by the Constituencies Uwezo Fund Management Committee Secretariat.
Q. Who is in charge of the fund at the Constituency level?
Answer
The Area Member of parliament is the Patron at the Constituency Level. The Constituency Uwezo Fund Management Committees are mandated with overall management and design of the Fund at the constituency level.
Q. What criteria will be used to determine whether a group qualifies for the fund?
Answer
(a)For a group—
(i) Is registered with the department of social services, Cooperatives or the Registrar of Societies
(ii) Has members aged between 18 and 35 years whereas the women’s and PWDs groups shall be made up of women and PWDs aged eighteen years and above.
NB: Youth groups with members above 35 years are eligible as long as the group is 70% youth and 30% others, 100% youth leadership, the same applies to the women and PWD groups i.e. 70% women and others 30%, 100% women leadership; 70% PWD and 30% others and 100% PWD leadership
(iii) Is based and operational at the constituency it seeks to make an application for consideration
(iv) 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)
(v) Hold a bank account in the name of the group.
(b) For an institution—
(i) Is a registered entity
(ii) Has listed youth and women groups within it
Q. Is there a deadline for the Uwezo Fund application?
Answer
There is no deadline, it is a revolving fund.
Q. What is the interest incurred on the loan?
Answer
The loan does not attract interest
Q. What is its repayment period?
Answer
Six months grace period and two years from the expiry of the grace period
Q. The group should be made up of how many members?
Answer
There is no maximum number of members in a group
Q. For how long should the group have been in existence for it to qualify for the fund?
Answer
There is no minimum required period of group existence as long as the group is practicing table banking and has evidence of monthly contribution
Q. Can I apply for the fund as an individual?
Answer
No, the fund is only accessible to the groups
Q. How long does it take for the groups to get their funding after the submission of the application?
Answer
The groups will get funding after the vetting of their applications has been done by Constituency Uwezo Fund Management Committees. Later the groups will be trained on four focus areas and then get funding for their projects. The turn-around time once the applications reach Board is one month.
Q. What measures are you taking to ensure transparency of the fund so that it doesn’t fail like any other fund?
Answer
At constituency offices the forms are serialized for accountability purposes
The beneficiary groups are displayed at the NGCDF or Sub-County offices and disbursement of funds/loans is held in public forums.
Q. What key areas are you focusing on to improve the Fund’s performance
Answer
The Board has developed a five-year strategic plan (2019-2023). The key result areas the Fund will focus on are;
- Fund management and resource mobilization
- Awareness creation and public education
- Leadership and governance
- Strengthening institutional capacity and infrastructure
- Monitoring and Evaluation