NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto on Monday dispatched all his Principal Secretaries (PSs) to their home counties to spearhead the rollout of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (Nyota) programme, a Sh5 billion initiative targeting job creation and youth empowerment.
Each of the more than 50 PSs was assigned to preside over the simultaneous county launches of the scheme, which seeks to support 100,000 young Kenyans through start-up grants, training, and business mentorship.
The programme, unveiled in August during the International Youth Day celebrations in Kakamega County, will provide Sh50,000 grants to at least 70 youths in each of Kenya’s 1,450 wards to help them start small businesses.
“We are investing in our youth, unlocking opportunities, and driving enterprise and innovation across Kenya. This programme has taken time to align properly, but it is now ready to go,” President Ruto said after meeting the PSs at State House, Nairobi, on Friday.
According to the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, the Nyota initiative reflects a whole-of-government approach aimed at promoting inclusivity and transparency in public empowerment programmes.
“This is a transformative job creation initiative targeting vulnerable youth at the bottom of the economic pyramid,” the ministry said in a statement.
The rollout began at 9 a.m. across all 47 counties, with PSs leading events attended by elected leaders, county commissioners, and youth representatives.
In the Coast region, Transport PS Mohamed Daghar officiated the launch in Mvita, Mombasa, while his counterparts Prof Abdulrazak Shaukat (Research) and Fikirini Jacobs (Youth Affairs) presided over ceremonies in Kwale and Kilifi respectively.
Elsewhere, Interior PS Raymond Omollo led the event in Homa Bay, Dr Belio Kipsang (Immigration) in Nandi, and Nixon Korir (Lands) in Nairobi.
Other PSs, including John Tanui (ICT), Charles Hinga (Housing), and Susan Mangeni (MSME Development), were stationed in Baringo, Nakuru, and Uasin Gishu counties respectively.
The Nyota programme is being implemented in partnership with the World Bank, which has backed the government’s youth enterprise drive as part of broader economic transformation efforts.
The initiative is the latest in a series of youth-focused interventions by the Ruto administration, which has prioritised job creation and self-employment under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
