Government Reopens NYOTA OJE Applications After Low Turnout, Urges Youth to Seize Second Chance.

Government Reopens NYOTA OJE Applications After Low Turnout, Urges Youth to Seize Second Chance.

Mr. Jacobs Fikirini, PS, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy & Sports, briefs youths on opportunities under the NYOTA OJE initiative.

By Jeff Oyugi 

Nairobi - January 30, 2026.

The government has reopened the application window for the On the Job Experience (OJE) component of the NYOTA programme following a lower than anticipated turnout of selected applicants during the initial induction phase, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports has announced.

Speaking during a press briefing, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Mr Fikirini Jacobs, said the decision to reopen the window was deliberate and aimed at ensuring that vulnerable young people do not miss out on what he described as the most significant youth empowerment initiative in the country’s history.

Ps apologised to those involved in designing the original rollout, noting that the move should not be interpreted as a failure of planning. He explained that the reopening was informed by lessons from the first phase, particularly the realisation that many applicants either misunderstood the programme requirements or were unable to report for induction despite having expressed interest.

The NYOTA programme is a government funded initiative valued at Sh20 billion and targets a total of 820,000 vulnerable young people across the country. According to the ministry, the project prioritises youths aged between 18 and 29 years, with the age limit extended to 35 years for persons with disabilities. The education threshold is capped at Form Four, with a significant number of beneficiaries drawn from those with minimal or no formal schooling.

Ps emphasised that the programme was deliberately structured to be inclusive and equitable, with a gender balance of 50 per cent male and 50 per cent female participation. An additional five per cent of beneficiaries are selected through peer review mechanisms, while a substantial number come from refugee-hosting and other high vulnerability areas.

He said the OJE component, which is the focus of the reopened window, targets 90,000 young people and is designed to equip them with practical skills, work experience and certification. Under the programme, beneficiaries undergo six months of training beginning with a compulsory induction that covers life skills and social-emotional development. They are then attached to identified master craftsmen and women for hands-on training.

During the training period, participants receive a monthly stipend of Sh6,000, which Mr Jacobs clarified is not a salary but support meant to cover basic costs such as transport and meals. He said the trainees are assessed by the National Industrial Training Authority and certified through the NYOTA framework, similar to how university and college students are evaluated during industrial attachment.

After completing the initial six months, beneficiaries are placed in employer organisations for a further six-month apprenticeship, giving them a full year of practical work experience. He said this structure ensures that participants do not return home immediately after training but instead gain additional exposure in real work environments.

“This is a young person who previously had no skills, no experience and no certification. After one year, they have all three,” he said, adding that graduates of the programme can seek employment locally or through the labour mobility programme coordinated by the State Department of Labour.

The decision to reopen the application window followed poor attendance during induction sessions in several counties. In the first lot, which covered Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira, Bomet, Narok and Nakuru counties, only about 6,000 youths reported for induction out of an expected 16,000. He said the shortfall indicated that many selected applicants either failed to understand the programme or opted out after applying.

The application window was reopened through the *254# financial inclusion platform and will remain open for two weeks. The ministry expects new applicants and those who missed earlier opportunities to apply, after which a fresh selection process will be conducted and successful candidates notified for induction.

Mr Jacobs noted that the reopening also provides an alternative pathway for young people who applied for the business support component of NYOTA but were not selected. He said more than two million youths applied for business support, yet only 100,000 could be accommodated, leaving many eligible applicants without an opportunity despite meeting the criteria.

Beyond OJE and business support, the NYOTA programme includes recognition of prior learning, which targets young people who acquired skills informally and lack certification. Mr Jacobs confirmed that invitations sent to applicants for assessment under this component are legitimate, urging beneficiaries to attend awareness and assessment sessions. He said thousands of skilled youths, including mechanics, masons and artisans, have been locked out of formal employment due to lack of certificates despite having demonstrable skills.

The programme also includes training on access to government procurement opportunities, targeting 600,000 youths, women and persons with disabilities. He said the training aims to curb exploitation by individuals who use young people as proxy company directors to access government tenders. Another component supports 10,000 youth-led social enterprises through training and provision of equipment.

Addressing claims that NYOTA is not a government project, Mr Jacobs dismissed the assertions as misleading. He clarified that while part of the funding is sourced from a World Bank loan, the project remains fully owned, implemented and accounted for by the government.

“This is government money. A loan does not transfer ownership,” he said.

Mr Jacobs described NYOTA as a transformative intervention that offers hope to young people who would otherwise have no realistic pathway out of poverty, noting that some applicants reported having zero formal education. He called on the media to help disseminate accurate information and urged young people to take advantage of the reopened application window.

“This project is lifting hundreds of thousands of young people who had lost hope. Defending it is not about defending government, but about defending the future of our youth,” he said.