The Kenyan government has released over Sh3 billion under the second phase of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program, supporting more than 122,000 young entrepreneurs nationwide.

President William Ruto announced the disbursement during a national launch event in Nairobi, emphasizing the initiative as a key strategy to combat youth unemployment through enterprise development.

The second tranche of Sh25,000 each will be given to 88,934 beneficiaries who successfully used their initial grants, while 33,269 new entrepreneurs will receive their first funding.The rollout is happening across 17 regional clusters covering all 47 counties to boost grassroots economic growth.President Ruto also announced a two-year waiver on county business permit fees for NYOTA beneficiaries to ease financial pressures on startups.State-backed institutions are directed to create financing products for businesses graduating from the program.

This initiative complements broader government efforts like the National Infrastructure Fund, aiming to shift youth from unemployment into sustainable entrepreneurship and job creation.