Kenya Delivers £2.3 Million Youth Business Grants to Garissa Including Refugees
Garissa, 11 February 2026
President Ruto disbursed KSh 375 million to 7,500 young entrepreneurs in Garissa County, marking a groundbreaking inclusion of refugees alongside Kenyan youth in government business support schemes. Each beneficiary receives KSh 50,000 to start or expand enterprises through the World Bank-funded NYOTA programme, targeting 820,000 vulnerable youth nationwide over five years.
Presidential Defence Against Political Criticism
Speaking at Garissa High School on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, President Ruto mounted a robust defence of his personal involvement in the NYOTA programme rollout, directly addressing criticism from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and opposition members [2]. The President emphasised that his presence underscored his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment, financial inclusion, and job creation [2]. “I have come here in person, not because I have nothing else to do. Issues affecting young people — their empowerment, financial inclusion, and job creation — are extremely important to me, and that is why I take time to do this,” Ruto stated [2]. He dismissed critics who questioned his involvement, asserting he would not be distracted by their remarks, particularly targeting those he described as having “no work to do” and whose job is “just roaming the streets, shouting ‘One Term,’ ‘Kasongo’” [2].
Programme Structure and Beneficiary Details
The NYOTA project represents a comprehensive five-year initiative targeting 820,000 young people aged between 18 and 29 years across Kenya [5]. Within this broader framework, 121,000 young entrepreneurs across all 47 counties are receiving KSh 50,000 each through the business support component [5]. The remaining 700,000 youths will benefit from other programme components, including Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), On the Job Training (OJE), expansion of employment opportunities through mentorship, and strengthening of youth employment systems [5]. The programme launched in July 2025 and has faced political controversy, with Gachagua criticising it as being turned into “re-election campaign rallies” despite similar World Bank programmes operating in Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, and Togo without such political theatrics [3].
Economic Impact Through Local Entrepreneurship
The practical impact of the NYOTA grants can be observed through beneficiaries like Omar Abdi, a small-scale milk vendor from Balambala Constituency, who exemplifies the programme’s grassroots economic approach [5]. Abdi purchases milk from Saka Ward livestock keepers at KSh 35 per litre and sells to Garissa Town residents at KSh 50 per litre, generating a profit of KSh 15 per litre [5]. Through the NYOTA start-up capital grant, Abdi and other beneficiaries are expected to expand their businesses, create employment opportunities for other young people, and develop saving cultures to safeguard their financial futures [5]. This model demonstrates how the programme aims to create ripple effects throughout local economies, connecting rural producers with urban consumers whilst building sustainable business practices.
Political Tensions and Programme Authenticity
The NYOTA programme has become entangled in broader political disputes, particularly following former Deputy President Gachagua’s press conference on 10 February 2026, where he criticised the government’s handling of drought in Northern Kenya and questioned the programme’s rollout [3]. This criticism prompted the circulation of a fake World Bank statement on 10 February 2026, which both the World Bank Kenya and NYOTA Kenya organisations quickly disavowed [3]. The World Bank Kenya clarified that no statement of support had been issued regarding the programme, whilst Gachagua highlighted spending discrepancies, noting that “the Office of the Deputy President has spent KSh 338 million on private jets, chartered planes, and helicopters while drought continues” [3]. He also pointed to inadequate drought response funding, calculating that the government’s KSh 4 billion allocation to 23 arid counties amounts to approximately 173.913 million million per county, or roughly 1212.121 per person for 3.3 million affected people, which falls below the UN minimum food basket requirement of around KSh 2,700 per person in rural areas [3].