President William Ruto has announced the start of nationwide interviews to select 100,000 young Kenyans who will each receive a Ksh 50,000 grant under the government’s National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program.
The exercise kicked off on Monday, October 13, across all sub-counties, targeting 70 youths from each of Kenya’s 1,450 wards. The Ksh 5 billion NYOTA project, a partnership between the Government of Kenya and the World Bank, aims to support unemployed and vulnerable youth to establish income-generating ventures.
Speaking during a church event at the Kasarani Gymnasium on Sunday, President Ruto said the initiative seeks to harness the energy, creativity, and innovation of young people to drive national transformation.
“Tomorrow in every sub-county in Kenya, we will begin identifying 100,000 young people because we want to use their energy, talent, and expertise to transform our nation,” said President Ruto.
The program focuses on jobless youth, especially those who have not studied beyond Form Four. Beneficiaries will undergo short-term training in trades such as tailoring, welding, and carpentry before receiving their startup capital.
Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs Jonathan Mueke clarified that NYOTA funds are grants, not loans, noting that recipients will receive both financial and technical support.
“The NYOTA Program is not a loan. It’s a grant meant to empower young people to start income-generating activities,” he explained.
However, the government has maintained that defaulters of the Hustler Fund will not qualify for the grants unless they first clear their pending debts.
According to PS for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development, Susan Mang’eni, Hustler Fund borrowers still owe the government about Ksh 5 billion. She warned that defaulters will also be locked out of other State-backed funding initiatives, including the Social Health Authority’s Lipa Pole Pole plan.
Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the NYOTA program is part of a broader Ksh 33 billion government effort, including the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) project, aimed at reducing unemployment and promoting enterprise growth among the youth.
Ruto said the grants will be disbursed in phases after a rigorous vetting process, with the first 100,000 beneficiaries drawn from an initial pool of 1.4 million applicants.
“The NYOTA program is about giving every young Kenyan a fair chance to build a livelihood and contribute to our economy,” he added.
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Today, I went to the beach front with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!
just clicking around so putting it down nothing special, fyi only. for context only: more might be useful.
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This article came at the perfect time for me.