Kenyan youth aged 15-35 years form 35% of the population in the country. Yet, nearly 70% of them are unemployed or aren’t adequately employed. These vibrant men and women are the future of Kenya’s economy but unemployment has left many Kenyan youth struggling to make it through the day. The Kenyan government has stepped in to mitigate this issue by introducing an empowerment program dubbed NYOTA Project or Nyota Mtaani.
NYOTA stands for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement. This is a five-year government initiative in partnership with the World Bank that seeks to address the unemployment issue that the Kenyan youth face. By providing the tools, skills and finances needed for them to earn a better living, the government hopes to reduce the number of unemployed youth. The key objectives of the program include:
Supporting youth savings
Beneficiaries of the program will be equipped with basic financial knowledge and savings plans which will be facilitated by the National Security Social Fund (NSSF). Once enrolled, the participants will be automatically enrolled into NSSF’s Haba Haba Savings Scheme. The program will then contribute Ksh 1,000 to each participant’s savings account for the first 6 months. Participants who save an extra Ksh 400 per month for 4 months qualify for a maternity benefit of Ksh 4,000 per month for 4 months. If a participant saves consistently for 6 months, the program will match their savings at 2:1 e.g if they save Ksh 2, Nyota Mtaani will add Ksh 1.
Encouraging youth entrepreneurship
Nyota Mtaani will enable participants to venture into entrepreneurship by providing startup capital, mentorship and market linkage. Participants will be guided by seasoned entrepreneurs on their business plan, growth potential and operations management. The program mainly encourages business from agricultural, green energy, digital and creative industries.
Improving youth employability
Youth will gain in demand skills including social skills, practical skills and apprenticeship. They will work with craftsmen and employers across various trades to gain on the job training and mentorship. The apprenticeship will last 5 months and once participants have completed their training, they will receive formal recognition through Trade Testing assessment by the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).
Capacity building youth to transact with the government
The program will provide digital training to participants on how they can bid for government tenders as entrepreneurs. This will be executed by the State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy (SDYACE) and State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SD-MSMED). They will also be educated in catalytic funds such as Youth Entreprise Development Fund, Women Entreprise Fund, Uwezo Fund, Hustler Fund.
Nyota Mtaani aims to support over 800,000 youth aged between 18-29 years and up to 35 years for people with disabilities from all 47 counties. The program will train 90,000 youth to gain experience and skills for the job market. It will also award 100,000 youth, 70 per ward, with Ksh 50,000 to start a business.
The other 600,000 youth will be trained on Access to Government Procurement Opportunities to enable them to bid for government tenders. Other benefits of Nyota Mtaani include:
- Enrolment in NSSF Haba Haba scheme with auto-debit contributions
- 2:1 matching savings incentive up to Sh6,000
- Maternity insurance benefit of Sh4,000 per month for four months for young mothers
- Digital skills training
- Certification through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Qualifications to apply for Nyota Mtaani
- Kenyan citizen
- Between 18-29 years (up to 35 years for people with disabilities)
- Form 4 level education or below
- Unemployed, underemployed or in low-tier employment
Requirements to apply for Nyota Mtaani
- National ID
- SIM card registered in the applicant’s name and linked to the applicant’s ID
Process to apply for Nyota Mtaani
- Dial the USSD code *254# on your mobile phone and press enter
- Select NYOTA Project from the menu
- Fill in the required information including name, age, education level, county/ward of residence, and disability (if any)
- Choose your preferred option i.e entrepreneurship, training or skill recognition and submit your application
- Wait for a confirmation prompt on whether the application was submitted successfully
- If successful, the application will undergo verification for eligibility.
- Eligible applicants will be selected randomly through a computer system
- Selected applicants will receive an SMS notification providing further details about enrollment
Note: Youth in registered refugee camps in Garissa and Turkana qualify to apply. All Hustler Fund defaulters are automatically disqualified from applying. This initiative is something akin to the Kazi Mtaani program.