The Government of Kenya, in collaboration with the World Bank, commenced a massive nationwide physical verification exercise on Friday, 24 October 2025, for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. The exercise, taking place across all 290 constituency headquarters, aims to validate the eligibility of 804,125 applicants vying for 100,000 business support grants. This initiative is a core component of a five-year, Sh20 billion job creation strategy designed to empower vulnerable Kenyan youth.

Principal Secretaries and National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) are overseeing the process to ensure transparency and fairness. According to a notice from Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, the verification is a mandatory step for all pre-selected applicants. "Only applicants who present themselves physically for validation will be deemed responsive and eligible. There will be no repeat exercise thereafter," Oparanya stated.

Verification Process and Eligibility

The exercise, which began this morning, requires applicants to present their original National Identity Cards for authentication. Persons with disabilities must also provide their disability identification cards. Verification centres have been set up in each constituency, with breakout stations organized by ward to manage the large turnout. For instance, in Kisii County alone, over 29,000 youths registered for the program. In Nairobi, Principal Secretary for Lands Nixon Korir reported an impressive turnout across wards in Kibra and Dagoretti South constituencies.

The core objective is to confirm key details provided during the initial application phase. Officials are verifying applicants' residency within their respective wards, education level (must be up to Form 4), and employment status (must be unemployed). The age bracket for eligibility is 18 to 29 years, extending to 35 years for persons with disabilities.

A critical and compulsory component of the selection is the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test (EAT). The 19-question test, accessible via SMS by sending "NYOTA" to short code 40270, assesses an applicant's entrepreneurial mindset. While many completed it beforehand, provisions were made for applicants to take the test on-site during the verification. The deadline for completing the EAT was set for 12:00 p.m. EAT on Friday, 24 October 2025.

Impact on Kenyan Youth and Economy

The NYOTA programme is a significant government intervention aimed at tackling high youth unemployment. Successful applicants will receive a non-refundable grant of Sh50,000 to launch or expand their business ventures. Beyond the capital, the program includes mentorship and financial literacy training to foster sustainable enterprises. Transport Principal Secretary Mohamed Daghar, speaking in Mombasa, highlighted a savings component, requiring beneficiaries to save 12% of their proceeds to cultivate financial discipline.

The initiative extends beyond business grants. According to President William Ruto, the broader Sh20 billion program aims to reach over 800,000 youths through various components. These include technical and vocational training for 90,000 youths and capacity-building for 600,000 more on accessing Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO).

Following today's verification, the NYOTA project team will conduct a three-day analysis of the results and EAT performance reports. The final list of 100,000 beneficiaries is expected to be announced next week, with President Ruto indicating that fund disbursement could begin as early as 4 November 2025. Successful candidates will then undergo induction and training before receiving the grants to start their entrepreneurial journey.