In 2025, President William Ruto’s administration continued to focus strongly on job creation, youth empowerment and economic growth, guided by the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). With millions of young Kenyans seeking opportunities, the government rolled out several programmes aimed at improving employment, supporting small businesses and expanding access to skills and capital.
One of the key initiatives launched in 2025 was the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. The programme targets unemployed youth by offering grants, skills training and apprenticeship opportunities to help them access jobs or start small businesses. During its rollout in Kakamega County, over 12,000 youths received KSh25,000 each as direct business support under the programme’s Business Support and On-the-Job Experience components. This marked a major step towards helping young people earn a living and become financially independent.
The government also revived the Kazi Mtaani initiative, which focuses on creating short-term jobs for youth across the country. Under the programme, President Ruto committed to creating about 110,000 jobs, especially in community work, environmental conservation and climate-related activities. Kazi Mtaani continues to provide income, skills and work experience for thousands of young Kenyans.
In addition, the NYOTA programme introduced paid internship opportunities through a partnership supported by the World Bank. The project targets over 820,000 young people, with 90,000 youths placed in paid internships. Each intern receives a monthly stipend of KSh6,000, deposited into a savings account to promote financial discipline and inclusion.
Supporting Small Businesses and MSMEs
To boost entrepreneurship, President Ruto pledged that 70 youth and women groups in every ward would receive KSh50,000 in start-up capital, empowering over 100,000 entrepreneurs nationwide. The government also launched a KSh5 billion grant fund to support small businesses, helping them grow and create more jobs.
By the end of 2025, the Hustler Fund had disbursed over KSh80 billion, expanding access to affordable credit for MSMEs and young entrepreneurs who previously struggled to get loans.
