The Kenyan government has disbursed Sh5.34 billion to 124,522 beneficiaries under the World Bank-funded National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. This exceeds the target of Sh2.7 billion and reaches more than twice the 54,000 youth micro and small enterprises (MSEs) planned to be supported. The programme aims to support young people across all 47 counties.
The NYOTA programme has a total budget of Sh33 billion and runs until 2028, with the World Bank financing Sh29.5 billion, including a Sh25.8 billion loan. The programme aims to reach 820,000 young people aged 18 to 29, and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities, through business grants, skills training, and digital support.
The latest disbursement was the largest direct youth-enterprise capitalisation undertaken by the MSME sub-sector. The programme was implemented within one year instead of the planned five years, surpassing the target. This increases pressure on officials to demonstrate that the large injection of public and donor-backed funds is translating into lasting businesses, jobs, and higher incomes.
Authorities are preparing to track recipients of Nyota cash after they complete training, business support, and savings interventions to establish whether the initiative is delivering sustainable employment. The planned tracer studies will follow participants six months after completing interventions, assessing employment, entrepreneurship, income levels, savings, and business performance.
The surveys will cover all 47 counties and use a representative sample across different interventions and demographic groups. The exercise will examine changes in employment and income before and after participation, including the type of work, wage levels, and reasons for unemployment. It will also assess access to public procurement, the usefulness of skills acquired, and challenges faced after participants leave the initiative.
Under the business-support component, 88,934 beneficiaries received first and second tranches totalling Sh50,000 each after completing mentorship during the first year of rollout. A further 35,588 youth received their initial Sh25,000 tranche and were awaiting mentorship and the second payment. Recipients undergo business training and mentorship as they receive the two tranches.
The accelerated rollout builds on lessons from the earlier Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP), another World Bank-supported youth employment initiative. The current tracking exercise will test whether the much larger intervention can sustain businesses after recipients exhaust their initial public support. MSMEs Development Principal Secretary Susan Mang'eni has set an 80 percent success target for enterprises supported under Nyota.
Key points
- The Nyota programme has disbursed Sh5.34 billion to 124,522 youth businesses, exceeding its target of Sh2.7 billion.
- The programme aims to reach 820,000 young people aged 18 to 29, and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities.
- Authorities are tracking recipients of Nyota cash to establish whether the initiative is delivering sustainable employment.
