President William Ruto, Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya join youths in a dance during the disbursement of Nyota funds in Eldoret /PCS
Sharon Chebet from Uasin Gishu County used to earn a living as a coffin broker. She never thought of running her own business due to a lack of capital.
But a government grant under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme transformed her life.
Hers is one of the thousands of success stories of young investors from around the country.
“NYOTA funding helped me grow from working as a coffin broker to owning my own coffin business after I combined the initial grant with my savings to buy five coffins and open a shop,” Chebet said.
“The business has enabled me to return to school after dropping out due to early marriage, support my mother and children. With the second tranche, I plan to buy more coffins to fulfil growing customer orders and expand the business.”
In Nairobi's Kangemi area, Millicent Atwoli, also a NYOTA fund beneficiary, is growing her salon business. Before receiving the grant, one of her biggest challenges was lack of enough money to buy salon products and supplies.
Through NYOTA, she was able to buy treatments and supplies in bulk for the first time, helping her serve clients better and keep her business moving.
“I moved from Kaimosi in Vihiga county to Nairobi to pursue my passion for beauty. I started by volunteering in a friend’s salon before eventually opening my own base in Kangemi,” she said.
“Today, my salon continues to grow, and I believe that in the coming years I will expand and manage several salons.”
Gregory, an education student at Kenyatta University, was struggling to balance academics and entrepreneurship. “The four-day NYOTA training at Mihang’o primary school gave me the foundation to scale my indigenous chicken farming project into a structured family partnership,” he said.
“Working alongside my mother, Queen Babito, we utilised our initial Sh22,000 disbursement to establish a flock of 22 chickens that provides both a steady revenue stream through egg sales and sustainable sustenance for our household.”
Applying the strict bookkeeping skills gained from NYOTA training, Dennis meticulously logged dates, harvest weights, and fluctuating market prices to manage a high-yielding broccoli enterprise.
“From an initial investment of less than the Sh22,000 disbursement, my structured agricultural records show a total revenue of Sh60,000, proving that small grassroots cash injections yield exponential returns when paired with financial literacy,” he said.
More than 2.5 million young people applied for the NYOTA grant in the first phase.
From the applications, 121,800 entrepreneurs were competitively selected from all 1,450 wards across the country.
More than 91,250 beneficiaries successfully completed business training before receiving their first business grants.The government invested over Sh2.28 billion directly into youth-owned enterprises through the first
tranche of financing.Beyond the financial investment, 90,478 beneficiaries completed structured mentorship, and by the end of the first mentorship cycle, 96 per cent had already established operating businesses.
The government is rolling out the second phase of NYOTA, investing Sh3.06 billion in 122,203 young entrepreneurs.
This comprises 33,269 first-time beneficiaries receiving their first business grants and 88,934 continuing entrepreneurs receiving a second tranche of financing to strengthen and expand businesses they have already established.
In North Eastern, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale will preside over the regional disbursement in Garissa.
Wajir will be under the leadership of Environment CS Deborah Barasa while her Blue Economy counterpart Hassan Joho will lead the disbursement in Mandera. In Marsabit, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo will be the point man.
The Western cluster, bringing together entrepreneurs from Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega and Vihiga will be under the leadership of Prime Cabinet Secretary
Musalia Mudavadi.The Central Rift cluster, comprising Baringo, Nakuru and Nyandarua, will be led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
Along the Coast, beneficiaries from Mombasa, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties will be hosted by Youth and Sports CS Salim Mvurya, while Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe will lead entrepreneurs from Kilifi, Lamu and Tana River.
