The government has explained the delay in disbursing the promised Sh50,000 grant to youths under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, citing budget limitations.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Principal Secretary for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development, Susan Mang’eni, said the department has only received Sh1.2 billion out of the Sh8.8 billion required to roll out the full programme.
The NYOTA programme was expected to benefit 70 youths in each of Kenya’s wards, with each receiving Sh50,000 to either start or grow a small business. However, MPs led by Committee Chairperson Benard Shinali (Ikolomani) questioned why the government allowed thousands of youth to apply for the grant without first securing full funding.
“A lot of Kenyan youths applied for these funds and are now anxious. If you love our youth, could you publish the names of those who have been selected so that they know whether to keep hoping?” asked Shinali.
Vice Chairperson Marianne Kitany (Aldai) also criticised the early publicity campaign for raising hopes among the youth, saying the rollout should have been planned more carefully.
PS Mang’eni explained that NYOTA is a scale-up of the earlier Kenya Youth Empowerment Programme (KYEOP), targeting over 100,000 young people aged 18 to 29. Youths with disabilities aged up to 35 are also eligible.
Each beneficiary will receive the grant in two instalments of Sh25,000 and will also undergo training and mentorship through Business Development Services (BDS). Priority will be given to youth with secondary education or lower, including school dropouts.
“Our aim is to empower young people through financial support and skills development so they can either start or sustain their businesses,” said Mang’eni.
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