Don't politicize the Nyota project, beef it up, Nyoro to Ruto

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro wants President William Ruto to stop politicising the World Bank's National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (Nyota) grant and instead increase it to benefit more youths.

According to the legislator, the government has borrowed Sh1 trillion in eight months, which is equivalent to Sh4 billion daily, and it would be wrong for the government to make political capital out of the grant without adding an impact to the fund.

"Nyota is a World Bank-funded program with a Sh5 billion grant. Instead of politicising the program, the government should add Sh5 billion from all the money they are borrowing and increase it from Sh50,000 to Sh100,000 per Youth," Nyoro said.

He claimed Sh5 billion was a drop in the ocean compared to the trillions of money borrowed under the Kenya Kwanza leadership.

"The third President, the late Mwai Kibaki, only borrowed the Sh1.2 trillion in ten years, but Ruto's administration has borrowed the Sh1 trillion in eight months. These debts do not include the money being used to construct roads, as they have secured a loan through securitisation."

Nyoro added, "The Sh1 trillion debt is not part of the money used to build stadiums as they have secured a separate loan called the Talanta bond."

Nyoro's remarks come a day after a section of MPs accused the administration of failing to involve them in the implementation of the program in a bid to ensure equitable distribution of the opportunities.

According to Emuhaya Mp Omboko Milemba, the MP and his Constituents were in the dark about who the beneficiaries of the fund are.

" The State department in charge of the program must rethink the identification of the beneficiaries process so that it only benefits the targeted Constituency," he said.

The Nyota program was unveiled on October 3 by President Ruto in what analysts believe is a strategy to entice him to the youth as the continuous voter registration exercises continue.

Ruto said the program was designed to support 100000 young people across the country, with 70 beneficiaries drawn from each of Kenya's 1450 wards.

Additionally, President Ruto said the programme will also involve 90,000 youth who will be trained to gain job experience, 20,000 on recognition of prior learning, and another 600,000 who will be trained on Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO)