More than 122,000 young Kenyans are set to receive the second instalment of funding under the government’s NYOTA Business Support Programme as the nationwide disbursement enters its next phase this week.
President William Ruto announced that the second phase of the programme will begin on Friday, July 10, following a progress briefing at State House on the implementation of the initiative by the State Department for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The latest rollout will see the government inject Sh3 billion into the programme, with each beneficiary receiving Sh25,000. This follows an earlier payment of a similar amount, bringing the total support provided to each participant to Sh50,000.
“With the launch of the Sh3 billion second tranche of the business support component for the 122,000 beneficiaries, each beneficiary will receive Sh25,000. In addition to a similar amount they had received earlier in the year, each beneficiary will have received a total of Sh50,000,” President Ruto said in a statement shared on his X account on Monday.
According to the Head of State, the nationwide launch will be conducted simultaneously at 18 venues, bringing together beneficiaries drawn from all 47 counties.
Ruto said all the beneficiaries earmarked for the second disbursement had successfully completed the mandatory business development training, making them eligible to receive the funds.
The NYOTA programme, jointly financed by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank, is one of the country’s flagship youth empowerment initiatives designed to help young entrepreneurs establish and grow businesses.
Beyond providing start-up capital, the programme also equips participants with business management skills and links them to employment opportunities.
The programme releases financial support in phases to encourage accountability and ensure beneficiaries acquire the necessary entrepreneurial skills before accessing the full grant.
The upcoming disbursement builds on the programme’s initial rollout earlier this year, when Sh250 million was distributed to 9,500 young entrepreneurs across six counties in the North Rift region.
During the first phase, beneficiaries from Turkana, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Nandi, Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet received the funds directly through their mobile money accounts under the NYOTA Business Start-Up Capital component.
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