The Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA) now seeks to know the owners of the over Sh27 billion the authority continues to hold in the form of unclaimed bank deposits, savings deposits, dividends declared by various companies, money from telecoms, unclaimed pensions, and Sacco deposits.

UFAA board chairperson Francis Kigo Njenga further wants owners of the billions the authority holds in unclaimed assets to go for their wealth and rebuild their lives.

“We want this money to go back to the mainstream economy to help in the bottom-up economic agenda. The money is not useful under our custody but should the owners claim it, the billions will help people fight the challenges bedevilling them including sluggish growth of their businesses,” Kigo said.

Speaking at the start of a three-day public sensitization drive between UFAA and Huduma Kenya in Thika where members of the public will be required to check the status of any unclaimed assets, Kigo further urged financial institutions to surrender unclaimed financial assets in their possession to the authority before October 31, 2023, as stipulated by the UFAA Act.

“Kenya is number one in Africa among countries that are on the frontline to ensure that the citizenry get back the money owed to them by institutions. The money can be used to rebuild the economy and we are ready to return what belongs to Kenyans,” Kigo added.

UFAA which has been traversing various parts of the country including Nakuru, Kisumu and Nyeri will be holding a three-day sensitization drive at Thika stadium from today, Wednesday in collaboration with Kiambu Huduma Centre.

Among other services that are expected to be offered at the three-day exercise will be vaccination against Covid-19 among other government services that are often offered at Huduma Centres.

Kigo said that UFAA is committed to ensuring that the authority brings the public closer to their assets saying that some of the Huduma centres in the country have already set up a UFAA desk, and plans were underway to popularize the service in all 47 centres under the Huduma Mashinani outreach programme.