Principal Secretary for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development, Susan Mang’eni appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperative. Photo Assembly File. 
By Andrew Mbuva
The much-anticipated rollout of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme has stalled due to budget constraints, the Principal Secretary for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development, Susan Mang’eni, has revealed.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, PS Mang’eni said that despite the government launching the programme and inviting applications from Kenyan youth, the State Department has only managed to secure Sh1.2 billion of the Sh8.8 billion required for full implementation.
“We are ready to roll out, but the available funding is not sufficient,” said Mang’eni. “We need an additional Sh7.6 billion to support all the beneficiaries as planned.”
The NYOTA programme was designed to benefit 70 youths in every ward across the country with a grant of Sh50,000 each, to either start or expand their businesses.
The grant would be disbursed in two instalments of Sh25,000, alongside Business Development Services (BDS) training and mentorship.
According to Mang’eni, the project is a scaled-up version of the Kenya Youth Empowerment Program (KYEOP), and targets over 100,000 youth, with a focus on those aged 18 to 29 years — and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities. Special priority would be given to youth with secondary education or lower, including school dropouts.
“Our aim is to empower young people through financial support and skills development to enable them to start or sustain businesses,” she told the Committee.
However, her remarks triggered sharp criticism from Members of Parliament, who questioned the logic behind encouraging youth to apply for the programme before securing the full budget.
Committee Chairperson Benard Shinali (Ikolomani) expressed concern over the anxiety building up among applicants.
“A lot of Kenyan youths applied for these funds and are now anxious. If you love our youth, could you publish the names of those who have been selected so that they know whether to keep hoping?” he asked.
Vice Chairperson Marianne Kitany (Aldai) echoed the concerns, accusing the Ministry of raising false hopes. “You mobilised the youth too early. Now they are frustrated, and it’s dangerous,” she said.
The lawmakers urged the Ministry to improve transparency and communicate clearly with the public about the status of the programme.
They also challenged the government to fast-track the funding process to ensure the youth are not left in limbo.
The NYOTA programme was widely hailed as a game-changer in tackling youth unemployment and stimulating grassroots entrepreneurship. However, unless adequate funding is secured, its full impact remains uncertain.
