The National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project, a KES 20 billion World Bank-backed program, is set to roll out soon, bringing skills, capital, and financial inclusion to the country’s most vulnerable youth.
President William Ruto officially announced the project during his 2025 Madaraka Day address, positioning NYOTA as a flagship under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The program targets youth aged 18–29, with the age cap extended to 35 for persons with disabilities, aiming to reach over 820,000 beneficiaries.
Since the application window opened on July 11, NYOTA’s entrepreneurship component alone has received more than one million applications, a significant signal of the urgent demand for empowerment and economic inclusion.
In early August, Cabinet Secretaries Alfred Mutua (Labour and Social Protection), Wycliffe Oparanya (National Treasury), and Salim Mvurya (Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports) met to finalize rollout plans.
“Together with my colleagues, we fine-tuned plans for the NYOTA—an initiative that promises to change the future for many Kenyan youths,” said CS Mutua.
The project is structured around four pillars:
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Employability – providing structured apprenticeships and recognition of prior learning (RPL).
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Entrepreneurship – offering business capital and mentorship.
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Savings and Financial Inclusion – through the NSSF’s Haba Haba scheme.
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Institutional Support – strengthening systems to sustain impact.
The entrepreneurship pillar, implemented by the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA), will see 110,000 youth, including 5,000 refugees and an equal number from host communities, receive Ksh 50,000 in start-up capital.
Funds will be disbursed in two tranches, with Ksh 3,000 from each tranche directed to mandatory Haba Haba savings.
Young women will also enjoy a maternity incentive of Ksh 16,000 if they consistently save Ksh 400 monthly for four months, a move aimed at encouraging financial discipline and supporting women entrepreneurs.
MSEA has confirmed that beneficiaries will be reached in phases: 54,000 in the first, 20,000 in the second, and 16,000 in the third, with the final 10,000 reserved for refugees and host communities.
“NYOTA is not about one-off funding—it’s about building long-term capacity. With mentorship, monitoring, and market linkages, we aim to cultivate a new generation of thriving youth-led enterprises,” MSEA said in a statement.
Beyond entrepreneurship, NYOTA will also support 90,000 youth through its On-the-Job Experience (OJE) program, providing three- to six-month internships with a Ksh 6,000 monthly stipend. At the unveiling of the NYOTA logo on July 23, CS Mvurya called the initiative a “strategic milestone in harnessing the potential of Kenya’s youth.”
With its blend of training, capital, and financial literacy, NYOTA is shaping up to be more than just a project—it is a lifeline. For Kenya’s restless and ambitious youth, it may well be the spark that turns unemployment into opportunity and uncertainty into enterprise.
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