Migori: The Government has called for transparency when recruiting would be beneficiaries of the State-run Nyota Programme. Special Protection Principal Secretary (PS), Joseph Motari, and his counterpart from Public Investments and Assets Management at the National Treasury, Cyrell Wagunda, urged Chiefs and other government officials who would be involved in the recruitment, to avoid recruiting only youth close to them and leaving out the most deserving one.
According to Kenya News Agency, speaking at the Migori Teachers Training College (TTC) in Migori town during a sensitization forum on the Nyota programme, the two PSs warned of severe punishment to any government official who would be found employing favoritism and nepotism during the recruitment process. PS Wagunda emphasized that President Dr. William Ruto fully supports NYOTA, a project deemed crucial in tackling the persistent youth unemployment issue in the country.
Nyota is a five-year initiative by the Kenyan government, financed by the World Bank. It aims to enhance the potential of Kenya's youth by addressing unemployment, expanding income-generating opportunities, and fostering a culture of savings and entrepreneurship. The project is poised to advance the country's youth-led economic transformation by empowering young people to actively contribute to national development and innovation.
PSs Motari and Wagunda informed the forum attendees that the project targets 820,000 unemployed youths aged between 18-29 years, and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities, with a form four level of education or below. The initiative plans to equip 90,000 youth with in-demand skills through social-emotional skills development and apprenticeships, alongside providing certificates to 20,000 youths through the recognition of prior learning (RPL) process.
PS Wagunda elaborated that the project aims to expand employment opportunities by supporting 110,000 young entrepreneurs nationwide. This includes training on life and business skills, provision of business capital, mentorship, and linkages to financial services through the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA).
In Migori, 70 youths per each of the 40 wards are set to be recruited to benefit from the project, said PS Motari, urging local leadership to refrain from politicizing the project during its implementation. He further explained that at least 190,000 young people would gain from financial skills training and saving incentives to encourage them to save for their life goals, thus strengthening youth employment systems.
The Ministry of ICT also aims to provide digital training to 600,000 young people to facilitate easier access to government opportunities. PS Motari noted the absence of the region's Members of the National Assembly and several Members of the local County Assembly at the forum.
The government officials highlighted numerous flagship projects implemented by the Kenya Kwanza Government in Migori, such as Affordable Housing and Inua Jamii, which have significantly improved the livelihoods of women, orphaned children, and the youth. They urged area leadership and the general population to acknowledge the equitable use of taxpayers' money, resulting in uniform development across most of the nation's counties.