Nyota programme can be gamechanger if implemented well
Opinion
By
Mike Nyagwoka
| Oct 26, 2025
The Nyota - National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement - programme is a beautiful initiative; upon that we must agree. It has clearly defined intentions, which I hope will be achieved. I also pray that the government will leave the ‘hoping’ to us and get down to the work of making it succeed.
The target is clear: To catapult millions of idle and unemployed Kenyan youths from their place of stagnation to a level of genuine advancement.
It is truly exciting to read how 600,000 youths will be trained on how to access government procurement opportunities. Equally enticing is the plan to engage over 90,000 youths through on-the-job placements and another 20,000 through Recognition of Prior Learning.
Then there is the most attractive package: Business seed grants for a select category of youths.
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Sh50,000 may sound like a small figure to the privileged. To some, it may be far less than 10 per cent of their salary, while for others, it is just a month or two of pay. But the real statement is the length of queues witnessed across the country. Many couldn’t even afford the fare to access their validation locations.
Sh50,000 is thus a lifeline when combined with skills, guidance, and the right environment.
With a target of 100,000 youths in this first phase, the impact will be massive.
I can confidently point out businesses I know that started with less than Sh30,000 but have sustained families for years, grown into massive investments, and even given birth to more enterprises.
The win is in the idea, the preparation, the location, and the self-drive. It is about the psychology and mindset of the targeted youths. Let this therefore be the major focus of the training programmes.
This will be one of the most consequential programmes by the Kenya Kwanza government. This is true for many other reasons. First, it recognises the importance of pursuing economic empowerment programs through a line ministry- the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSME Development.
The current CS in charge is none other than Wycliff Oparanya, an accomplished accountant who at one time also served as the Minister for Planning, where history gives a very good account of him.
More importantly, this is among the rare opportunities where Kenyans have a direct access to borrowed funds with an emphasis on transparent verification, training, and balanced distribution across the 1450 wards.
When successfully implemented, the Nyota programme will surely prove that our youths are the true stars (nyota) of this country and that the disconnect has always been access to capital, guidance, and opportunities.
It would also be a great demonstration of the power of trusting and investing in the young people and its success will unlock more funds for the rest of them not forgetting their enhanced purchasing power. I really hope it works, and I believe it will.