President Ruto Oversees NYOTA Youth Empowerment Disbursement in Meru

President William Samoei Ruto on Thursday arrived at Kinoru Stadium in Meru County to preside over the disbursement of business start-up capital to more than 4,500 youth beneficiaries under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project.

The beneficiaries drawn from Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties are set to receive funding aimed at helping them start and grow enterprises, as part of the government’s broader agenda to tackle youth unemployment and stimulate grassroots economic growth.

The NYOTA Project targets reaching 820,000 young people across the country with a comprehensive empowerment package that includes business skills training, start-up capital, skills certification, on-the-job experience, and access to government procurement opportunities.

Speaking at the event, government officials reiterated the administration’s commitment to equipping young people with practical skills and financial support to enable them to become self-reliant and contribute to national development.

The programme is being implemented through a multi-agency approach involving the State Department for Youth Affairs and the Creative Economy, the State Department for MSME Development, the State Department of Cooperatives, and partners including the World Bank, NSSF Kenya, the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), the National Youth Council, and the National Employment Authority.

NYOTA operates under the rallying call “Kuza. Imarisha. Endeleza Vijana”—Grow. Strengthen. Sustain the Youth—reflecting its focus on long-term youth empowerment through skills, enterprise, and opportunity.