By
Joseph Muia
Published on: January 08, 2026 05:15 (EAT)
President William Ruto, while presiding over the disbursement of the Nyota North Rift Cluster Business Start Up Capital, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County on Thursday, January 8, 2026. PHOTO | PCS
Audio By Vocalize
President William Ruto has launched the NYOTA Project Business
Start-Up Capital disbursement for six counties in the North Rift region, which targets thousands of youth with capital support to begin and expand
businesses.
The programme will see Ksh.235,575,000
disbursed to 9,423 youths from Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet,
Nandi, Trans-Nzoia, Turkana, and West Pokot counties.
Each beneficiary will receive Ksh.25,000, with Ksh.22,000
deposited into the Pochi La Biashara Wallet to support business operations,
while Ksh.3,000 will be deposited into the Haba Na Haba savings
account under NSSF to encourage a savings culture among young
entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the launch held in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, President Ruto hailed the NYOTA Project as “a benchmark
for transparency and inclusivity,” saying it gives “every young Kenyan
an equal chance through a fully digitised process.”
He said the initiative
is a flagship youth empowerment programme focusing on job creation and
enterprise development, and complements other interventions, including
opportunities under the affordable housing project, labour export, and the
digital economy.
County Governors from the benefiting counties pledged
support to NYOTA beneficiaries, committing to waive business licences and cess
charges to reduce the cost of doing business, while also promising to provide
additional enterprise development funds for further capital needs.
During a high-level mentorship session hosted by Susan
Mangeni, Principal Secretary in the State Department for MSMEs Development,
President Ruto shared his personal journey as a hustler in Maili Tisa, urging
youths to remain resilient and make use of initiatives such as the Hustler Fund,
Uwezo Fund, and the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority to grow their
businesses.
Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Wycliffe
Oparanya described the NYOTA Project as “the largest youth job creation
exercise in Kenya’s history,” saying it guarantees fairness with “at
least 70 beneficiaries reached in each of the 1,450 wards across the country.”
Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and
Sports Salim Mvurya urged beneficiaries to invest the funds wisely,
noting that additional components such as Job Experience and Recognition of
Prior Learning, will roll out after completion of business support activities.
National Assembly Trade and Cooperatives Committee Vice
Chair Marianne Keitany noted that Parliament is considering the
Start-Up Bill, which seeks to improve the operating environment for MSMEs by
mainstreaming business development services, enabling licence waivers, and
establishing structured capital support frameworks.