President William Ruto has directed officials overseeing the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Fund to uphold full transparency, as he moved to counter growing claims of corruption and favouritism surrounding the programme.
Speaking on January 8 during the disbursement of start-up capital to youth beneficiaries in Eldoret, the President insisted that those selected for the programme earned their place purely on merit. He went as far as challenging anyone who had secured the opportunity through bribery to openly admit it.
“I am very happy that there is no one who has been pushed to be here or anyone who has bribed anyone to be here. If there is anyone who bribed their way onto this list, let them stand up,” Ruto told the gathering.
The President said he had given clear instructions to government officials managing the NYOTA programme to ensure openness at every stage, from selection to disbursement, so that the fund reaches deserving young Kenyans.
Ruto also took a swipe at previous youth funding initiatives, arguing that they lacked accountability and clear frameworks, making them vulnerable to abuse. According to him, past programmes made it difficult to track beneficiaries or measure their real impact on the lives of young people.
“There was an earlier programme that was run without transparency. You could not tell who the beneficiaries were or even know its impact,” he said.
The NYOTA programme is a five-year initiative funded by the World Bank in partnership with the Kenyan government, aimed at tackling youth unemployment by supporting young entrepreneurs. Under the programme, beneficiaries receive business training, mentorship and Ksh50,000 in start-up capital.
The funds are released in two phases of Ksh25,000 each. In every phase, Ksh22,000 is paid directly to support business operations, while Ksh3,000 is deposited into the beneficiary’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) account as savings.
The programme targets youth aged between 18 and 29 years who have attained a maximum of secondary school education. Applicants with university degrees or higher diplomas are not eligible.
As the roll-out continues, the government says transparency and accountability will remain at the centre of the programme, with the aim of ensuring that public resources genuinely uplift young people seeking a foothold in business and employment.
