Nandi hills: Over 2000 youths participated in the national Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) manual validation exercise in Nandi East Sub County, with a total of 2200 youths turning up for the event. This initiative, a five-year job creation program by the government of Kenya in partnership with the World Bank, aims to improve the livelihood of vulnerable and marginalized youths in Kenya.
According to Kenya News Agency, the exercise was officially inaugurated by Ollessos Assistant County Commissioner Perminus Maina, who urged the youths to capitalize on the government's initiative to enhance their livelihoods through business ventures. Speaking at the Ollessos National Polytechnic, Nandi East Sub County Youth Officer Hosea Serem highlighted that out of the 2200 applicants, only 280 youths who meet the qualifications will be selected for business support.
Serem provided a breakdown of the applicants, noting that Nandi Hills Ward led with 900 applicants, followed by Chepkunyuk and Ollessos Wards with 500 applicants each, and Kapchorua Ward with the least at 300 applicants. He explained that the final selection will be based on the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test (EAT), and applicants must meet specific criteria, including being unemployed, having an education level not exceeding form four, and being between 18-29 years, with an exception for people living with disabilities up to 35 years.
Nandi East Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner Ngalia Ndaya advised the selected youths to adopt a saving culture once their businesses start yielding profits and encouraged those who miss out to enroll in technical courses to enhance their employability. He emphasized the importance of investing the fund in productive businesses.
A representative from the office of Nandi Hills Constituency Member of Parliament, Wilfred Keter, praised the NYOTA initiative and urged qualifying youths to use the funds wisely to start sustainable businesses. Keter also encouraged the formation and registration of youth groups to access other government funds like the Uwezo Fund.
Youth leader Elias Kibet applauded the government for the NYOTA initiative and called for an increase in the fund to benefit more unemployed youths. He expressed concern that the current allocation of 70 youths per ward is insufficient compared to the number of applicants.