There is excitement all over — phones are lighting up, M-PESA messages are pinging, and status updates are changing faster than you can say serikali imekumbuka vijana! The government has finally remembered the youth, or so it seems.
Earlier today, many young people across country received a rather celebratory text:
Confirmed. You have received Ksh22,000.00 from NYOTA BUSINESS SUPPORT on 7/11/25 at 12:16 PM.
A Friday afternoon drop, just in time for the weekend. The timing alone feels almost poetic — as if the message was whispering, "Wasee mnaeza jibamba sasa juu ni wikendi!" And you can’t blame anyone for that kind of joy; after all, times are tough, and 22,000 shillings can momentarily feel like salvation.
But beyond the excitement lies a deeper story — one that mirrors past efforts like MBELE NA BIZ (2019) and exposes familiar cracks in the system of youth enterprise development in Kenya.
The Irony of Friday Blessings
The NYOTA Business Support program, backed by the World Bank and implemented through the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA), is designed to help youth build sustainable small businesses. In theory, it’s a fantastic idea — giving seed capital to young entrepreneurs and linking them to business development services.
However, the method of disbursement raises eyebrows. Sending funds on a Friday evening, with little financial literacy support in place, is like handing out parachutes without telling anyone how to pull the cord. The good intentions risk being drowned in the weekend euphoria — parties, peer pressure, and impulsive spending — before Monday morning brings the cold reality that business dreams can’t be built on vibes alone.
Chaos at Training Centers: When Systems “Forget” People
Let’s talk about the chaos during training. In Vihiga County, particularly in Emuhaya and Vihiga Constituencies, several youth reported being turned away from training centers because their names “did not appear in the system.” The situation almost turned ugly in Ebukhanga, where chairs nearly became flying projectiles.
Whispers on the ground suggest that some names were mysteriously replaced overnight, with new participants showing up the next morning — strangers to the very communities the program was meant to uplift. Considering that applicants were drawn ward by ward, it’s strange that some sessions looked more like guest lists for a political rally than targeted youth empowerment.
This digital disappearing act raises questions about transparency and accountability — the same issues that haunted previous initiatives like Mbele na Biz, where delays, mismatched records, and opaque selection processes left many genuine applicants out in the cold.
The Implementation Puzzle: Who Really Benefits?
The next phase of the NYOTA program involves contracting MSMEs to mentor and support these youth enterprises — at a fee of $520 per successful business created. It’s a clever results-based model, but one that could backfire if these MSMEs are sourced from outside the counties.
Bringing in “consultants” who neither understand local realities nor have roots in the community often leads to textbook mentorship — fancy PowerPoints and empty promises — instead of real, on-the-ground guidance.
As Forezava and community-based innovators, we’ve pitched ideas like Forezava CEDI (https://cedi.forezava.org) that prioritize local mentorship, hands-on training, and peer-led enterprise development. Unfortunately, we don’t have “big people” in government to push our case, so our chances are as thin as a budget speech on integrity.
The Bigger Picture: Lessons from Mbele na Biz
If there’s one thing Mbele na Biz taught us, it’s that money alone doesn’t build enterprises — ecosystems do.
Most beneficiaries of that 2019 project faced challenges like lack of market access, limited business skills, and zero follow-up from implementing agencies. Within months, many had either exhausted their grants or shut down their businesses entirely.
Unless NYOTA learns from that experience, we risk watching another short-lived success story — youth who received money but not mentorship, grants but not guidance.
The Hope: Turning “Wamepata Form” into “Wamepata Future”
Still, not all is lost. The NYOTA disbursement has rekindled optimism among thousands of young Kenyans who have long been sidelined from economic opportunities. With proper local support systems — community-based mentorship, shared working hubs, and continuous coaching — the program can still shine.
But it will take honesty, inclusivity, and long-term thinking. Because what we truly need is not just a form ya weekend, but a foundation ya maisha.
Youth enterprise development in Kenya shouldn’t feel like winning a lottery ticket on a Friday. It should feel like building a future — one where 22,000 shillings is not a celebration of government generosity, but a spark for local innovation, sustainability, and dignity.
Until then, we celebrate the small wins — cautiously.
#NYOTA2025 #YouthEnterprise #VihigaStories #ForezavaVoice
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