Kericho: The government has intensified its call to young Kenyans to register for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme ahead of the fast-approaching application deadline on April 30, 2025. The initiative aims to provide government-funded start-up capital, technical and life skills training, structured mentorship, and access to employment and entrepreneurship pathways.
According to Kenya News Agency, Acting Senior Enterprise Development Officer at the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA), Michelle Aburili, urged youth in the region to take advantage of the NYOTA programme during a sensitization forum at Matobo Primary School grounds in Kericho. Aburili emphasized that the programme offers seed capital, skills, mentorship, and business development services to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Aburili explained that NYOTA is a flagship initiative of the Government of Kenya, supported by the World Bank, targeting youth aged 18 to 29, with an upper age limit of 35 for Persons with Disabilities. It is tailored for individuals who have completed up to Form Four education and are currently unemployed, underemployed, or engaged in low-income activities. Over its five-year implementation period, the programme aims to reach jobless youths across all 47 counties.
She noted that the initiative builds on the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP), with an expanded focus on long-term employability, income generation, and financial inclusion. The project is structured around four key components to address challenges facing Kenya's youth in the job market.
The first component seeks to improve youth employability by providing access to technical and life skills training, job placement support, and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to formally recognize informal skills. Aburili highlighted that the second component, implemented by MSEA, expands employment opportunities through entrepreneurship development, offering start-up capital, socio-emotional and business skills training, mentorship, and market linkage opportunities.
The third component of NYOTA promotes youth savings by encouraging financial literacy and access to formal financial services, with incentives for saving behavior. The fourth component strengthens national youth employment systems and institutional capacity for effective implementation and sustainability of the program at both national and county levels.
Meanwhile, Kericho East Sub-County Youth officer Gladys Kipng'ok revealed to KNA that a comprehensive mapping of master craftsmen across various trades has been completed. Craftmen within Kericho Town, from sectors like construction, tailoring, metalwork, mechanics, and agribusiness, will serve as trainers and mentors for youth in apprenticeship programmes under the employability component.
Ms. Kipng'ok emphasized the importance of formalizing businesses to ensure youth in Kericho access localized, hands-on training opportunities aligned with labor market demands.