Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya/FILEThe government has announced a nationwide physical validation exercise to confirm the authenticity and eligibility of applicants for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) funds.
Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the exercise will be conducted on Friday, October 24, 2025, across all 290 constituency headquarters in the country.
“The process will verify key details such as residency, education level, employment status, gender distribution, and disability, while also confirming that applicants are available to participate fully throughout the project cycle,” Oparanya stated in an official notice.
The CS emphasised that only those who attend the exercise in person will be considered eligible for selection.
“Only applicants who present themselves physically for validation will be deemed responsive and eligible. There will be no repeat exercise thereafter,” he cautioned.
According to Oparanya, the validation will be led by Principal Secretaries, supported by elected leaders, National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), and the NYOTA Project Implementation Team, in what he termed a “Whole-of-Government approach.”
Each constituency will have one or more validation centres, with breakout stations organised by wards to ensure transparency and efficiency.
Applicants will be required to present their National Identity Cards, while Persons with Disabilities must also carry their disability identification cards for authentication.
The government reiterated that the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test (EAT) remains a mandatory requirement for final selection into the Business Support Component of the NYOTA programme.
Youth who have not yet taken the test will be allowed to do so on-site during the validation exercise.
To take the test, applicants are required to send the word “NYOTA” to 40270 and follow the SMS prompts to answer all 19 questions. The test is free, available in multiple languages, and can be completed using any mobile phone. The deadline for completing the test is Friday, October 24, 2025, at 12:00 pm.
Following the validation exercise, the NYOTA Project Team will spend three days analysing results and EAT performance reports, after which the final list of successful beneficiaries will be announced.
Successful applicants will then undergo induction and training sessions in preparation for the business start-up phase.
The NYOTA Project aims to reach at least 820,000 youth aged between 18 and 29 years, and up to 35 years for Persons with Disabilities, across all 1,450 wards in Kenya.
Funded by the World Bank, NYOTA is a five-year government initiative designed to transform the lives of vulnerable young people by creating employment, enhancing income generation, and promoting a culture of savings.
Under the Business Support Component, 100,000 youth entrepreneurs will receive entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and start-up grants of Sh50,000 each to help launch and grow their businesses.
