The government has announced a validation exercise for Kenyans who were shortlisted for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) funds.
Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs on Tuesday, October 21, announced that the validation exercise will formally commence on Friday, October 24, in line with President William Ruto's directive during the Mashujaa Day celebrations.
According to the PS, the validation exercise will take place at the constituency level, with the shortlisted candidates expected to attend the programme in their specific sub-counties.
"All pre-selected applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with their respective venues and prepare to participate in this important stage of the programme," Fikirini directed.
All the shortlisted candidates were further told to appear in person at their designated venues and carry along their original national identification cards and a copy of their pre-selection message.
However, the CS urged youths who have yet to receive pre-selection messages to exercise patience as the shortlisting process is still in progress.
"To the applicants who have not yet received the pre-selection SMS, please be patient as the process of sending out messages is still ongoing, and you will receive your notification soon," he added.
Fikirini's announcement comes a day after President William Ruto directed the relevant government agencies to expedite the shortlisting and validation exercise for NYOTA beneficiaries.
NYOTA is a five-year transformative agenda by the government, funded by the World Bank. It aims to empower youth by addressing unemployment, income insecurity, and limited savings.
Addressing Kenyans on Monday, October 20, during the Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kitui, the Head of State revealed that his administration would commence the disbursement of the funds from November 4, this year.
Ruto announced that his administration, jointly with the World Bank, had set aside Ksh20 billion for various youth-led initiatives under the NYOTA programme.
“We have Ksh20 billion from the World Bank to give to our youth. We will be targeting 800,000 youths who will receive funding under different categories of the NYOTA project,” Ruto stated.
