By Faith Anene, Kakamega
The Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA) has processed nearly Sh4 million in claims during a week-long outreach clinic in Kakamega County, as hundreds of residents turned up to trace their unclaimed financial assets.
UFAA board member Rebecca Onsogo said the authority is currently holding more than Sh115 billion belonging to Kenyans and is intensifying efforts to reunite citizens with their money.
“We are here in Kakamega because we are trying to identify Kenyans with the money that we are holding at the UFAA. We have over Sh115 billion in unclaimed assets, and the mandate of the authority is for us to reunify these assets with Kenyans,” she said.
The clinic, which ran from Monday to Friday, attracted a strong response from residents across the Western region.
“We’ve served over 2,000 people who have walked in, and close to Sh4 million worth of supported claims have been processed at this clinic,” Onsogo said.
However, she noted that some claimants lacked sufficient documentation to support their applications.
“Some claims are not supported. Kenyans are walking in but they don’t have full details or information of the claims they are coming to search for,” she explained.
Heavy afternoon rains also disrupted activities, reducing foot traffic after 3pm each day.
Despite the challenges, Onsogo said the outreach achieved about 80 per cent success, with nearly Sh3 million already cleared for processing. Beneficiaries are expected to receive their payments within one to two weeks.
“Our mandate as an authority is to take this money and put it back in the pockets of Kenyans. It is yours and not ours. Please come out and claim your money,” she urged.
Among those who benefited is Nickson Akwoka, a signatory of a welfare group whose funds had been transferred to UFAA.
He said they had been guided through the process of reclaiming their money. Grace Auma, the group’s secretary, welcomed the initiative, saying it had restored their hope of recovering their savings.
