By Aron Ndonyi and Murugi Ndwiga
Millions of youths thronged in various local gov’t institutions and local NGAO’s offices for the NYOTA Project physical validation exercise, marking one of the largest turnouts witnessed in the country.
The Verified NYOTA participants will receive between Kshs 25,000 and Kshs 50,000 to start their small and medium businesses or incentivize their hustle
The exercise, was taking place in all 249 constituencies in selected sub-counties on Friday 24th October, 2025.
Speaking while kicking the exercise in Nairobi County, Lands and Physicall Planning Principal Secretary General Korir presided over the validation exercise at Kibra DCC office before proceeding to Dagoretti North, Westlands, Ruaraka and all other sub-counties.
In Saku Constituency Marsabit County, youths turned up in large numbers for the NYOTA validation exercise held at the Marsabit stadium with many expressing optimism that the government will advance the money to to them to enable them to start up or expand on their small businesses. NGAO oversaw the exercise. 1400 youths in the 20 wards in the county are expected to benefit from the program.
Principal Secretary in the State Department for Economic Planning Dr. Boniface Makokha addressing the youth during the Nyota verification exercise at Nambale Vocational Training Centre on Friday.
In Embu, including Runyenjes, Mbeere North, and Mbeere South, attracted huge crowds of young people eager to confirm their eligibility for the government-backed empowerment initiative.
In Runyenjes Constituency, National Government Administration Officials (NGAO) confirmed the overwhelming turnout, noting that the same enthusiasm was mirrored in other parts of the county.
Speaking exclusively to Safi News, the NYOTA Project Coordinator for Manyatta Constituency, Benson Muthendi, praised the strong turnout, calling it a sign that the youth had embraced the government’s empowerment agenda.
“We have witnessed an impressive turnout today, which is a clear indication that the youth believe in the NYOTA Project,” said Muthendi.
“In Manyatta Constituency alone, we expect at least 4,000 youths to show up, a target that is very achievable considering the numbers we’ve already seen.” he said.
Muthendi also encouraged those who may not qualify in this phase not to lose hope.
“I want to congratulate the youth who qualified for this phase and turned out for the verification exercise,” he said. “But I also want to encourage those who might not make it this time. The government has other empowerment projects such as the Youth Enterprise Fund, Women Enterprise Fund, Hustler Fund, and Uwezo Fund. All these are meant to uplift the youth, so they should visit these offices and find out how they can apply and benefit.”
For many participants, the validation exercise symbolized a new beginning.
John Njagi, one of the verified youths, expressed optimism after years of struggling to find capital for his business.
“It’s really encouraging to finally have something to look forward to,” said Njagi. “I’ve been hustling for years trying to raise funds to start a small business, but nothing has worked out. Now that I’ve been verified for NYOTA, I feel like there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel.”
Another participant, Rose Muthoni, said the project could have a ripple effect beyond personal benefit.
“If we receive the cash boost, it will not only help us sustain ourselves but also allow us to create employment opportunities for other young people,” she said.
Due to the massive turnout across the country, the validation period has been extended to Saturday, October 25, 2025, according to MSME Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni, who supervised the exercise in Uasin Gishu County.
“We’ve seen an overwhelming number of youths turn up for the verification exercise, which is very encouraging,” Mang’eni said. “As a government, we don’t want to lock anyone out. That’s why we’ve extended the validation to Saturday, to ensure inclusivity and fairness in this empowerment process.”
Once the validation phase concludes, successful applicants will proceed to the next stage, which includes training and empowerment sessions before receiving funds to kickstart their businesses.
The NYOTA Project, implemented across all 290 constituencies in the 47 Counties in Kenya, is a World Bank initiative in partnership with the National Government. It aims to empower young people aged 18 to 29 with grants of up to KSh 50,000 to start small businesses and improve their livelihoods.