Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke on Monday 6th October 2025 led a high-level sensitization forum in Kitui to officially roll out the Ksh 5 billion NYOTA Youth Empowerment Programme, a transformative government initiative aimed at supporting thousands of young people to start and grow businesses.
The NYOTA Project, implemented under the Ministry of Youth Affairs in partnership with the World Bank, seeks to economically empower more than 820,000 vulnerable youth across all 1,450 wards in Kenya. The programme focuses on equipping young people with practical skills, entrepreneurial training, and start-up capital to enhance self-reliance and employment creation.
Speaking during the forum, PS Mueke said the programme targets to support at least 100,000 youth entrepreneurs nationwide with Ksh 50,000 each in start-up capital through the business support pathway. Beneficiaries will also undergo entrepreneurship development training to help establish sustainable ventures that can thrive within local economies.
“Our young people are the heartbeat of our nation’s future. Through NYOTA, we are not only providing financial support but also giving them the skills, mentorship, and confidence to create their own opportunities,” said Mueke. He emphasized that the initiative aligns with President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which aims to uplift communities at the grassroots level.
The PS further explained that the programme’s digital application process will reopen from October 6th to October 12th, 2025, through the zero-rated USSD code *254#, allowing more youth who missed the initial phase to apply. Physical verification and entrepreneurship aptitude tests will then be conducted on October 17th, 2025, across all constituencies.
In addition to financial support, NYOTA promotes a culture of savings among beneficiaries, requiring them to save 12 percent of their funds, which will be matched by the government to encourage discipline and future financial growth. Mueke noted that this component aims to strengthen business sustainability and reduce dependency on handouts.
He called upon county governments, local administrators, and community leaders to help mobilize potential beneficiaries, especially in wards that recorded low application numbers during the first phase. “This project is about more than job creation it’s about hope, empowerment, and action. Every young Kenyan deserves a fair chance to succeed,” he concluded.
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