Sep 17 – More than 5,000 young people from Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega and Vihiga counties have begun Business Development Skills training aimed at equipping them with the know-how to start and run their own enterprises.
The training is part of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project — a five-year Government of Kenya initiative supported by the World Bank. Its goal is to increase employment, enhance earnings and promote savings among vulnerable youth nationwide.
Upon completion, trainees will receive start-up capital of Sh50,000 for their businesses. The funds will be released in two tranches of KSh 25,000, with KSh 3,000 from each tranche deposited into the Haba Haba savings scheme run by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
This component is being implemented by the State Department of MSME Development through the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA).
According to the ministry, an estimated 110,000 youth aged 18–29 years — and up to 35 for persons living with disability — will benefit from the grants in three cohorts. The first cohort will comprise 54,000 beneficiaries, the second 30,000 and the third 16,000. Ten thousand slots have been set aside for refugees in Kenya and their host communities.
Speaking during a NYOTA Project update, Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the four western Kenya counties are the first of eight clusters to benefit from the programme.
“We expect to roll out training rapidly across the other seven clusters. After completing classroom training in each cluster, the phased disbursement of the business start-up capital will enable beneficiaries to launch their businesses. Subsequently, they will receive hands-on support from business development experts to incubate their ideas,” he said.
Oparanya added that the official launch of the NYOTA Project will coincide with the start of disbursing start-up capital to trained beneficiaries in cluster one and will be presided over by President William Ruto in the coming weeks.
Beyond the grants, the NYOTA Project also includes interventions to improve youth employability through skills development, apprenticeship certification and work placement.
