President William Ruto has directed all Principal Secretaries to convene a meeting with senior government officials in all counties ahead of the rollout of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project.
NYOTA is a five-year transformative agenda by the government, funded by the World Bank. It aims to empower youths by addressing unemployment, income insecurity, and limited savings.
The programme aims to provide Ksh50,000 in grants for 70 young people selected from each of the 1,450 wards in Kenya, enabling them to launch business ventures.
In his directive, the Head of State ordered the PSs to hold a meeting with all governors, members of Parliament and Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) by Monday, October 6, 2025.
According to Ruto, the PSs will also hold a meeting with the chiefs to sensitise the local authorities and youths on the programme and to align implementation at the grassroots.
"By involving leaders from the Executive, Legislature, and county governments, the process will be transparent and inclusive, ensuring that every young person has a fair chance to benefit," Ruto stated.
"We have adopted a whole-of-government approach in delivering the NYOTA programme to ensure its smooth and successful implementation," he added.
Ruto revealed that the Ksh5 billion programme will support 100,000 young people nationwide, adding that through NYOTA, the government seeks to unlock opportunities and drive enterprise and innovation among youths.
The Head of State's update comes a month after Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya revealed that the government had received over 1.4 million applications from youths seeking the Ksh50,000 grant.
Appearing before the National Assembly's Trade Committee on August 27, Oparanya disclosed that over 1.4 million applications had been submitted through the USSD *254# platform, with 180,000 applicants already shortlisted.
He explained that each successful applicant would receive Ksh50,000, disbursed in two instalments of Ksh25,000, alongside Business Development Services (BDS) training and mentorship.
"180,000 applicants have been shortlisted through a fair randomisation process and are currently undertaking an online aptitude test before final selection," Oparanya told the legislators.
The CS further informed the lawmakers that 46 per cent of the 180,000 shortlisted candidates are women, while 26,000 are people with disabilities.
