Mwatata Juma Mwangala

Tim Kamuzu Banda

14 May 2011

interview

Nairobi — Congratulations on your appointment, what should we expect?

I have actually been with the Youth Fund for four years in different positions, but as the boss, I want to build a fund that is responsive and relevant to the aspiration of the youth.

Does giving 15 people Sh50,000 business loan make sense?

Yes, we have packages like that for the constituency level but don’t forget that there are people who have never even handled Sh500 for business.

This is just to start them off and as they make their re-payments, they qualify for more. There is more money also for those who get the loans from banks.

Where does a young person in say, Mandera go to get the loans?

We have a District Youth Officer in every district under the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry under which we fall.

These are our focal people. They oversee a Constituency Vetting Committee, which is where to apply to at the rural areas.

Why are banks still asking for collateral for the loans when they weren’t supposed to?

The truth is that we actually gave the money to the banks as a loan as we had no infrastructure at all.

The banks have their own internal conditions and some of them include collateral.

However, the terms are more lax than the ordinary loans. But things will get better as we go along.

Do those in the creative industry like musicians qualify?

Of course, the creative industry is an enterprise too. If you are a musician who want to earn a living from your music and has a clear business plan about how you will record, market and make money off your music, come talk to us.

What do the musicians need to do to apply for the loan?

They just need to have a proposal detailing what they intend to do, the cost of recording, their marketing plan and how they intend to make money and repayment for the loan.

They can either go to the constituency office or the banks depending on how much they want.

Does that apply to filmmakers?

Yes it does because the film industry creates employment for hundreds of young people.

In fact we are in discussion with the Kenya Film Commission on how we can come up with a product targeting filmmakers.

Your team has been on a fact-finding mission, what have you learnt that is beneficial to the Youth Fund?

Yes, we have been to Brazil, Columbia and Bangladesh. In Bangladesh we have been studying the successful Graeme Banking model, which brought micro-finance closer to the rural people and empowered borrowers to an extent that they actually own the bank.

Do you intend to introduce that in Kenya?

Yes, and in fact, I already have received approval from the Board of Directors to replicate this model.

To start with, we are opening fully manned offices in 24 of the 47 counties by the beginning of August.

By June next year, we will have offices in every county bringing services and products closer to every corner of Kenya.

We have 450 volunteers across the country as we speak.

Other plans?

We plan to create a model market accommodating 600 people in every county to help the youth sell their products.

We also want to have a youth advisory centre in each of the counties too and also create a product for the graduates of the youth polytechnics.

Is there any political interference?

Like in most other sectors, some politicians call asking for favours, but the process is so straightforward that there isn’t even a need to ask for favours.

What are your key challenges?

The main challenges of course is the lack of information among youth, but I am happy to say we are working very hard to increase their awareness on the procedures, the products and services among many other things.

Youth Fund aside, what’s your hobbies?

I am a fan of football and athletics. I campaign to have Kenyans support the local clubs like Gor Mahia, Bandari and Sofapaka. I am a big fan of music too.

Who and what music do you listen to?

I am open in my music taste but I like what the likes of Suzzana Owiyo, Nyota Ndogo and Jua Cali, especially his song Bidii Yangu, as we all need to put ‘bidii’ (work hard) in everything we do.

AllAfrica – All the Time