Homa bay: Hundreds of young people turned up at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay for the ongoing validation exercise under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Program's Business Support Component Two.
According to Kenya News Agency, Homa Bay County Director for Youth, Elector Opar, spoke at the stadium, indicating that the exercise aimed at verifying the details of applicants who registered for the program to confirm they successfully completed the required aptitude test. "The youths appearing today are being validated to ensure they truly registered and took the aptitude test," Opar explained.
However, the process had challenges with many applicants reporting difficulties completing the aptitude test, prompting the government to reopen the testing window until midnight to allow all registered youths to finalize the process. "The government yesterday opened it up so that every youth who applied can go through the test until midnight tonight," Opar said.
The event recorded a massive turnout, with about 5,000 youths showing up in the morning. After verification, the number was reduced to 3,000, and eventually, only 1,500 qualified for final validation. "Some of those who turned up thought this was an opportunity to get jobs, so they came in large numbers," Opar noted.
She added that messages sent to applicants were also used to confirm eligibility, with some being automatically disqualified based on system feedback.
NYOTA is a five-year program that seeks to enhance employability, expand income-generating opportunities, promote a culture of saving among the youth, and strengthen employment systems. The program will support entrepreneurship through training on socio-emotional and business development skills, mentorship opportunities, access to startup capital, and partnerships with social enterprises.
Under the business support component, youth from 1,450 wards across the country will each receive Sh50,000 to start or expand their businesses. Despite the rigorous vetting, many of the participants expressed appreciation for the government's effort and optimism that they would soon receive the promised financial support once validation is complete.