Some women and youth in Gwitiryo Ward in Tarime District have said loan conditions by the government and the little knowledge they have are the reasons why they don’t take credit.
Instead they join groups of people so they could give loans among themselves. This is a sort of pyramid scheme.
This came up in a meeting of residents of the ward after their councillor, Mr Adam Nyawambura, had asked them to give the reason why they did not apply for loans.
“The district council allocates 10 per cent of its revenue as loans to support women and youth. Sh300 million has been set aside, but no group applied for a loan,” he said.
Chinyoyo village, Dodoma.
Mr Margaret Sosi, a resident of Gwitiryo, said many women did not know how to write or read and that they had never been educated about how to take loans from the government.
Tarime District Council social development officer Ochieng Wayoga told The Citizen that many people were educated and the issuance of loans was not a new thing.
He also spoke about the shortage of social development officers as in 24 wards there were only four such officers.
He said for the residents to get loans they would have to be in groups of five to 17 people and that each group must have its own constitution, get engaged in entrepreneurial activities and get registered by the social development office.