The government has boosted funding for the National Youth Opportunity Towards Advancement (Nyota) programme, adding Sh3.38 billion after increasing the number of beneficiaries to 50,000 in the latest mini-budget.
Initially, the Treasury had set aside Sh1.44 billion to support 17,500 young people over the 12 months ending June.
With the new allocation, the programme’s total resources for the current fiscal year reach Sh4.8 billion.
Launched by President William Ruto’s administration, Nyota aims to empower 820,000 youths aged 18 to 29 through business grants, digital skills, and training that enhances access to government opportunities.
Nyota’s overall budget is Sh33 billion and will run through December 2028. The World Bank is financing Sh29.5 billion of this, including Sh25.8 billion as a loan component.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises PS Susan Mang’eni said the programme has already begun dispersing startup funds to participants. “So far, we’ve done the first instalment of the startup capital, and we have disbursed more than Sh3 billion to them.
From the 120,000 entrepreneurs that we are supporting, we are likely to see probably half of them or even quite a few of them becoming the next generation of manufacturers,” she said, noting that recipients will also receive two months of mentorship to strengthen their businesses.
Besides the Sh6 billion set for business capital and expansion grants, the programme directs Sh720 million to the National Social Security Fund for savings. In addition, Nyota will provide digital skills training to 600,000 youths to help them navigate government services.
The initiative also plans to equip 90,000 young people with in-demand skills to boost their employability and issue certificates to 20,000 trainees. Through this combination of grants, mentoring, and skills development, Nyota seeks to create a generation of self-reliant entrepreneurs capable of contributing to Kenya’s economy.
