President William Ruto’s administration has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling youth unemployment through a new initiative targeting thousands of jobless Kenyans.
On Tuesday, July 28, 2025 the Cabinet approved the launch of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. The programme, which is sponsored by the World Bank, is expected to kick off in August 2025.
According to a Cabinet dispatch, the NYOTA programme targets over 820,000 vulnerable and unemployed youth, including persons with disabilities.
A key component of the initiative is the On-the-Job Experience programme. This segment will employ 90,000 youth in three- to six-month paid placements with employers.
“The ongoing call for the On-the-Job Experience programme targets 90,000 youth for three- to six-month paid placements with employers, with monthly stipends of KSh 6,000 deposited into Haba Haba savings accounts,” read the dispatch in part.
The government opened applications for the NYOTA programme on July 11, and interested youth have until August 15, 2025, to apply.
The programme is a central part of the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. It aims to boost employability, recognize prior learning, and improve access to decent work.
The NYOTA initiative is structured around four main components:
- Paid on-the-job training
- Entrepreneurship support
- Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) certification
- Opportunities for future work
According to the Cabinet, more than one million applications have already been received for the programme.
In addition to NYOTA, the government is rolling out several other employment programmes for youth.
In June 2025, the state launched the Climate WorX programme in all 47 counties, aiming to create over 110,000 jobs.
Earlier, in 2024, the government announced 300,000 job opportunities abroad in 19 different countries. To support this, it pledged to provide loans of up to KSh 300,000 to help cover travel and other logistics for those who secure international jobs.
Another youth-targeted initiative is the Affordable Housing Internship Programme, launched by President Ruto in July 2025. The programme will take in 4,000 graduates from universities and TVET institutions.
Ruto said the initiative will engage graduates in fields such as architecture, surveying, engineering, and construction management.
The Affordable Housing Project aims to build 200,000 housing units per year, which is projected to create over 250,000 jobs for Kenyans in the construction industry.
These initiatives are part of a broader push by the Kenya Kwanza administration to address youth unemployment and build a skilled, empowered workforce for the future.
