- More than 6,150 youth in Mount Kenya East have received Ksh 153.75 million in NYOTA grants.
- The NYOTA programme has so far disbursed over Ksh 3 billion to more than 122,000 youth nationwide.
- CS Geoffrey Ruku urged residents to back the government’s development agenda.
The government has disbursed Ksh 153.75 million from the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Fund to approximately 6,150 young entrepreneurs in the Mount Kenya East region. The funding is aimed at helping the youth establish and scale up income-generating businesses. The beneficiary counties under the Mount Kenya East umbrella include Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Embu.
The distribution of disbursement forms, which took place at the Kirubia Stadium in Chuka Town, Tharaka Nithi County, marks the launch of the second phase of this nationwide youth enterprise initiative.
Administered by the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) under the leadership of CEO Henry Rithaa, the NYOTA Project equips Kenyan youth with practical entrepreneurship training and mentorship, direct business start-up capital, and access to markets, incubation centers, technology transfer, and financial initiatives. To date, the government has released over Ksh 3 billion to more than 122,000 young entrepreneurs across all 47 counties.
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During this latest disbursement, 88,934 beneficiaries who successfully invested their initial capital received a second-phase grant of KSh 25,000, bringing their total government financial support to KSh 50,000. An additional 33,269 youth received their first-round grants.
The program specifically targets young Kenyans aged 18 to 29 who did not transition to universities or colleges, offering them a pathway to self-employment. To give these new enterprises a strong head start, President William Ruto previously announced a two-year waiver on business permit fees for all NYOTA-supported businesses, directing the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council to collaborate with county governments to enforce the directive.
The launch ceremony was attended by a delegation of high-ranking national and regional leaders, among them the Cooperatives Principal Secretary (PS) Patrick Kilemi, who represented the top leadership of the Sacco sector at the event.
Addressing the crowd in Chuka, Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku urged residents of Meru, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi to firmly back the development agenda of President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. “I urge our residents in Mount Kenya East to continue supporting the government’s development plans. This unity is what ensures our region secures vital national funding for infrastructure, roads, and sustainable local businesses,” Ruku stated.
CS Ruku emphasized that strengthening the region’s collective bargaining power at the national level is key to unlocking further infrastructure and road development funds.
By John Majau
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