Hii ni shida kubwa sana, na ukweli lazima usemwe wazi.

Shylocks na predatory lenders wameweka Wakenya wengi kwa mtego wa madeni yasiyoisha. Mtu anakopa Ksh 500,000 halafu anarudisha Ksh 1.5 million ama zaidi. Hii si biashara, hii ni exploitation ya kiuchumi.

Wengi wa waathirika hawawezi hata kwenda court. Hawana pesa ya lawyer. Na mbaya zaidi, kuna allegations kwamba baadhi ya hizi lending companies zina links na powerful politicians.

Ukiwasha TV, radio, YouTube au social media, karibu kila advert ni loan. Kama vile betting, hizi shylocks zimejaa kila mahali bila control.

Wanaita “quick cash” lakini ukweli ni debt trap. Zinaharibu familia, biashara na mental health ya watu, halafu hakuna accountability.

Tunaambiwa, “nenda court, justice iko.” Lakini kwa nini hawa shylocks wanaruhusiwa kufanya kazi openly mpaka damage ifanyike? Hapo ndipo regulation na oversight zimeshindwa.

Courts hazifai kuwa first line of defence. Zinafaa kuwa last option.

Swali ni moja tu: nani amelala kazini? Serikali? Regulators? Ama wote?