NYOTA Beneficiaries to Undergo Mandatory Training Beginning Next Week

Kenya, 16 April 2026 - Beneficiaries of the first phase of the NYOTA project will be required to undergo mandatory classroom-based business skills training starting next week, ahead of the second batch of funding.

The training, scheduled to start Monday, 20 April 2026 will help address skill gaps identified during mentorship and strengthen beneficiaries' ability to grow their businesses.

The confirmation was made by the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development, Susan Mang’eni, through a statement on Wednesday.

Mang’eni noted that only those who participated in the first mentorship program will be eligible for the second classroom business skills training.

Once they complete the training, the individuals will now qualify for the next disbursement of the second tranche of the start-up Capital of KSh 25,000 under the programme.

“The business skills training will be conducted at the constituency level across the country, and the beneficiaries will receive invitations to the training through the official communication channels,” Mang’eni said.

“97% of beneficiaries who received the first tranche of start-up capital participated in the mentorship program, demonstrating high entrepreneurial intent among the beneficiaries,” she added.

 The NYOTA programme was implemented to provide unemployed youth with training and business support through grants of up to Ksh 50,000. This programme also offers on-the-job experience to boost employment and financial inclusion across the country.

In the first phase, beneficiaries received KSh 22,000 through their NYOTA mobile wallets,  and an additional Ksh3,000 was deposited into their NSSF savings accounts.

 They were required to use the funds to start a business project,  and if they show good progress, they will qualify for an additional KSh 25,000.

The programme, which is primarily funded by the World Bank, aims to support over 100,000 vulnerable youth in all 1,450 wards in Kenya.

According to the PS, 99 percent of the beneficiaries engaged during the mentorship period in the first phase of the programme have already established their businesses, with the remainder still in the process of starting their businesses.

“Insights from the mentorship exercise further reveal that 84%of mentees are first-time entrepreneurs with less than 1 year of business experience, underscoring the importance of continued mentorship and business support for the beneficiaries, even after the conclusion of the project,” she said.