Mombasa, Kenya — A total of 5,880 young entrepreneurs from Mombasa, Kwale and Taita-Taveta counties are set to receive KSh147 million in business grants today under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, during a ceremony presided over by President William Ruto at the Jomo Kenyatta Showground, Mombasa.
The beneficiaries have been selected from 70 wards across the three counties, with 30 wards in Mombasa, 20 in Kwale, and 20 in Taita-Taveta, marking a major boost for youth-led enterprises at the Coast.
Under the NYOTA Business Start-Up Capital component, each beneficiary will receive KSh25,000 in the first phase. Of this amount, KSh22,000 will be disbursed directly to the beneficiaries’ mobile money accounts, while KSh3,000 will be deposited into a Haba na Haba Savings Account managed by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to encourage a culture of saving.
In the second phase, beneficiaries will receive an additional KSh25,000, bringing the total start-up capital to KSh50,000 per beneficiary. Nationally, the programme targets 121,000 young entrepreneurs.
The release of the funds follows the successful completion of a mandatory four-day business skills training, designed to equip beneficiaries with practical knowledge in entrepreneurship, financial management and business growth.
NYOTA is a key pillar of the government’s youth empowerment agenda, aimed at expanding access to finance, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating sustainable livelihoods for young people across the country.
With today’s event in Mombasa, youth from 44 counties will have benefited from the programme. The government plans to roll out the remaining disbursements next week in the North Eastern counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa, completing the first component of the NYOTA programme focused on business grants.
The initiative underscores the government’s commitment to unlocking youth potential and driving grassroots economic transformation through enterprise development.
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