President William Ruto has accused some opposition leaders of inciting young people to reject government programmes.
Speaking in Mumias, Kakamega County, during the launch of the Nyota programme, Ruto urged the youth not to be used for politics. He told them to question how they benefit when politicians ask for votes or call for protests. Thousands of young people from Western Kenya attended the event.
Under Nyota, 12,155 youth aged 19 to 29 from four counties received KSh22,000 each as business capital. The programme also supports persons with disabilities up to 35 years old.
Nyota is a key Kenya Kwanza project that promotes entrepreneurship, job creation, and financial inclusion. Ruto said it replaced the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (Keyop). The new version, designed with the World Bank, now covers all counties.
“When I took office, I found the youth project working in only 17 counties. I partnered with the World Bank to expand it nationwide,” Ruto said.
So far, the government has disbursed KSh267 million through Nyota. Ruto said the programme encourages saving and reduces reliance on political handouts.
He said 110,000 youth have already received their first KSh22,000 payment. Each beneficiary saved KSh3,000 from that amount. Another 60,000, including people with disabilities and single mothers, will get training on how to access government tenders. An extra 190,000 will be trained in saving and financial management.
Ruto pledged to match half of the total savings made by the youth. Governors from Western Kenya also promised a two-year tax holiday for Nyota beneficiaries to help them grow their businesses before paying taxes.
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