President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Monday, February 2, 2026, travelled to Kisumu County to preside over the disbursement of Sh220 million in NYOTA Start-Up Capital Grants targeting young entrepreneurs from the Lake Region.
The ceremony, held at Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu, brought together over 8,000 youth drawn from 105 wards across Kisumu, Siaya and Homa Bay counties, marking a major boost for youth-led enterprises in the region.
Under the NYOTA (National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement) programme, each beneficiary received Sh25,000 in the first phase of funding. Of this amount, Sh22,000 was credited directly to the recipients’ Pochi la Biashara accounts to support business start-up or expansion, while Sh3,000 was deposited into a Haba na Haba Savings Account managed by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), encouraging a culture of saving.
The grants were awarded to youth who successfully completed a mandatory four-day business skills training programme, designed to equip them with practical knowledge in entrepreneurship, financial management and business growth.
Speaking during the event, President Ruto said the NYOTA programme is a key pillar of the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritises job creation and economic empowerment for young people.
The Kisumu disbursement forms part of a nationwide rollout of the NYOTA initiative, as the government seeks to provide sustainable pathways to employment and enterprise development for thousands of young Kenyans.
Deputy President Kindiki noted that the programme goes beyond cash grants by combining skills training, savings and access to financial tools, aimed at ensuring long-term business success.
With the Sh220 million injection, thousands of youth-led businesses across the three counties are expected to gain fresh momentum, reinforcing the government’s push to place young people at the centre of Kenya’s economic growth.
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