Ruto Launches Nationwide Sensitization on NYOTA Youth Empowerment Project.
By Peace Muthoka.
Nairobi, October 5, 2025 — President William Ruto has directed all Principal Secretaries to lead a nationwide grassroots sensitization programme for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, set to begin across all 47 counties on Monday, October 6.
The NYOTA project, a government youth empowerment initiative supported by the World Bank, aims to create jobs, build skills, and support young entrepreneurs across Kenya. The programme targets 820,000 young people in all 1,450 wards, with a special focus on women, persons with disabilities, and youth in refugee camps in Garissa and Turkana counties.
Under the project, young people aged 18 to 29 years and persons with disabilities up to 35 years will benefit from various interventions. At least 50 percent of the beneficiaries will be women.
NYOTA will equip youth with on-the-job experience by placing them with employers and artisans, benefiting about 90,000 participants. In addition, the programme will offer business support to 100,000 young entrepreneurs, each receiving KSh 50,000 as start-up capital along with business training.
Over 600,000 youth will also undergo training on how to access and win government tenders through the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme.
The application process is fully digital, accessible via *USSD code 254# on both smartphones and feature phones, free of charge.
President Ruto emphasized that the sensitization exercise reflects a Whole-of-Government approach to ensure inclusivity, accountability, and transparency in implementing what he termed a transformative youth empowerment programme targeting vulnerable Kenyans at the grassroots.
The NYOTA initiative, whose slogan is “System ya Facts,” is expected to significantly reduce unemployment, nurture entrepreneurial talent, and drive sustainable development among Kenya’s youth.
