Government Begins Nationwide Validation for Youth Empowerment Under NYOTA Project

The government will tomorrow, Friday, October 24, 2025, begin a nationwide physical validation exercise for youth applicants under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, a World Bank-funded initiative aimed at transforming the lives of vulnerable young Kenyans through entrepreneurship, employment, and financial empowerment.

Speaking in Nairobi, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, Hon. FCPA Dr. Wycliffe Oparanya, said the validation will take place simultaneously across all 290 constituencies to confirm the authenticity and eligibility of applicants before the final selection.

“The government is committed to ensuring that every opportunity under NYOTA reaches the right beneficiaries,” Dr. Oparanya said.

“This validation exercise is not just a formality, it is an important step in promoting transparency, accountability, and fairness in how public resources are distributed to empower our young people.”

Under the project’s Business Support Component, 100,000 youth entrepreneurs will receive entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and start-up grants of KSh 50,000 each to start or grow their businesses. The exercise will confirm key details such as residency, education level, employment status, gender distribution, and disability, ensuring that only qualified and available youth are selected.

Only applicants who present themselves physically at their respective constituency headquarters will be deemed responsive and eligible for selection.

“We are keen to ensure that this process is credible and inclusive,” said Oparanya. “There will be no repeat exercise; therefore, I urge all shortlisted youth to attend the validation in person.”

The verification will be led by Principal Secretaries, supported by elected leaders, National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), and the NYOTA Project Implementation Team under a whole-of-government approach. Each constituency will host validation centres with breakout stations organised by wards to enhance efficiency and transparency.

Applicants will be required to present their National Identity Cards, while persons with disabilities must carry valid disability identification cards for authentication.

Dr. Oparanya further noted that the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test (EAT) remains a mandatory requirement for final selection. Youth who have not taken the test will be allowed to do so during the validation by sending the word NYOTA to 40270 and following the SMS prompts to answer 19 questions before the deadline of Friday, October 24, 2025, at 12:00 p.m.

“The EAT is designed to assess entrepreneurial readiness and help identify youth with the potential to start and manage sustainable businesses,” he said.

Once the three-day review of the validation and test results is completed, the NYOTA project team will release the final list of successful applicants, followed by induction and training sessions to prepare them for the business start-up phase.

“This initiative is about giving our youth practical tools to transform their futures,” Dr. Oparanya added. “By investing in their skills, creativity, and resilience, we are laying the foundation for an inclusive and self-reliant economy that works for everyone.”

The NYOTA Project targets at least 820,000 youth aged between 18 and 29 years, and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities across all 1,450 wards in Kenya. It focuses on four key interventions: Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), On-Job Experience (OJE), Business Support, and Digital Training on Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) and the e-GP platform.