The National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project has warned young Kenyans against fake websites and social media accounts claiming to offer access to its funding programmes.
In a notice issued on Friday, September 11, NYOTA said fraudsters were using online platforms to mislead young people into believing they could register for funding through links or websites.
The project clarified that it does not have an application website or mobile application through which beneficiaries receive their funds.
Instead, payments are sent directly to the phone numbers provided by successful applicants when applying for the respective NYOTA programme.
“The NYOTA Project does not have an app or website for disbursing funds to beneficiaries. Beneficiaries receive payments directly to the phone numbers they used during application for the respective NYOTA interventions,” the project stated.
NYOTA Warns Against Fake Links
NYOTA said its official application channel remains the *254# USSD service and warned that applicants do not need links to register.
The project asked young people to avoid clicking on or sharing links claiming to offer NYOTA registration or help beneficiaries access their funds.
“NYOTA Project does not use links to enrol beneficiaries into the project. Do not click on or share links claiming to register you for NYOTA or facilitate payments,” the notice added.
The warning comes after several social media accounts began circulating links to websites claiming to offer registration for the second phase of NYOTA funding.
The fake websites reportedly ask users to click on links to start an application while displaying testimonials from people presented as previous beneficiaries.
Users are also asked to submit personal information through the websites.
NYOTA urged members of the public not to open the suspicious links or provide their personal details through platforms claiming to represent the project.
How NYOTA Communicates With Beneficiaries
The project said official information is communicated to beneficiaries through SMS and its recognised communication channels.
NYOTA also asked the public to report suspicious websites, applications and messages that claim to be associated with the project to the relevant authorities.
The warning comes as the government continues implementing the second phase of the NYOTA programme.
President William Ruto launched the Phase II business support component in July, with more than 122,000 young entrepreneurs receiving a second tranche of Ksh25,000.
The additional payment brought the total amount disbursed to each of the beneficiaries to Ksh50,000.