Kindiki Says NYOTA Programme to Expand, Targeting 2 Million Youths Nationwide
Speaking on Tuesday, Prof. Kindiki said the youth empowerment initiative is currently being fine-tuned following the successful rollout of its first phase, which targeted 820,000 beneficiaries
By : Mweru Mbugua
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced plans to expand the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme to reach more than two million young people across the country
Speaking on Tuesday, Prof. Kindiki said the youth empowerment initiative is currently being fine-tuned following the successful rollout of its first phase, which targeted 820,000 beneficiaries
“The government is exploring ways of injecting more resources into this programme to expand its reach and positively impact the lives of many young people,” he said, adding that the number of beneficiaries is expected to double in the long term
The Deputy President made the remarks after meeting Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Chief Executive Officers of agencies overseeing the implementation of the NYOTA programme at his official residence in Karen. The meeting focused on reviewing progress and preparing for the programme’s expansion
Prof. Kindiki noted that the expanded programme will bring more young people on board through business support initiatives, on-the-job training, and the recognition of prior learning
So far, more than 121,000 youths have benefitted from the Business Grant component, with each recipient set to receive Sh50,000 to boost their enterprises. He said the government is at an advanced stage of operationalising the first component, which has been allocated between Sh5 billion and Sh6 billion
“We have seen significant impact in supporting micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as startups,” the Deputy President said
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Other components of the programme including on-the-job training, skills development, recognition of prior learning, and access to government procurement opportunities (AGPO) — are also being refined to align with the government’s priorities as directed by President William Ruto
Prof. Kindiki further revealed that the government has made budgetary savings by removing non-essential expenditures and reorganising programme components. He said the savings will be redirected towards increasing the number of beneficiaries
He added that the government will continue engaging development partners to ensure the NYOTA programme fully aligns with the administration’s development agenda
