Starting September 2025, Kenyan youth looking to venture into business will receive Ksh50,000 each under a new government initiative spearheaded by President William Ruto.
The President made the announcement on Saturday during a Nairobi County empowerment forum at State House, accompanied by Governor Johnson Sakaja and senior county officials.
Ruto said the programme, backed by a World Bank partnership, will release Ksh5 billion to benefit 70 young people in every ward across the country.
“This is not just for Nairobi. Every ward in Kenya will have 70 young people each receiving Ksh50,000 to start their businesses. That means more than 100,000 youths will benefit,” he said.
The funds will be issued through the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, a five-year, World Bank-funded plan aimed at tackling youth unemployment, boosting income security, and promoting savings.
Ruto stressed that the initiative is part of his administration’s broader effort to equip young Kenyans with tools to create jobs and stimulate local economies.
The NYOTA programme administrators have also warned applicants against falling victim to fake online pages posing as official channels.
“NYOTA is free. Do not pay anyone for registration or processing,” administrators said, noting that all updates will be shared via official NYOTA social media accounts and the project website.
Successful applicants will be notified through the phone numbers they used during registration.
