Nyota programme transforming youth livelihoods, Kindiki

President William Ruto and his Deputy Prof. Kithure Kindiki during NYOTA empowerment program in Kisumu on February 2, 2026. [PCS]

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has mounted a strong defence of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s economic agenda.

Kindiki insists that President William Ruto’s bottom-up approach is already delivering tangible benefits, particularly to young people across the country.

Speaking in Kisumu during the launch of the NYOTA youth empowerment programme, Kindiki said the government remains firmly focused on transforming livelihoods through targeted policies centred on job creation, enterprise support and economic inclusion.

“Through your administration, Mr President, we are going to witness the transformation of millions of young people in your first term as you look towards your second term,” Kindiki said, praising the President’s commitment to youth empowerment.

The Deputy President said initiatives promised during the 2022 General Election campaign, including the Pesa Mfukoni model, are now being rolled out and are beginning to bear fruit.

“It is now evident that Pesa Mfukoni was not just a campaign slogan,” Kindiki said, noting that programmes targeting hustlers, micro-entrepreneurs and young people are gaining momentum on the ground.

He said the NYOTA programme is part of a wider government strategy to tackle youth unemployment by equipping young people with practical skills, improving access to affordable financing and supporting enterprise development, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas.

Beyond the economy, Kindiki used the occasion to commend the broad-based government arrangement between Kenya Kwanza and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), arguing that the cooperation has strengthened national unity and political stability.

“We are talking about how you are continuing to strengthen our unity,” he said. “You have brought our brothers from ODM. Now we are in a broad-based administration. We are stronger together.”

According to the Deputy President, the inclusion of ODM leaders in government has helped ease political tensions that followed the 2022 elections, creating a more stable environment for the implementation of key development programmes.

“Initially we were Kenya First, we were UDA, but with the ODM family, the country is stronger and the country is more stable,” Kindiki said.

He urged political leaders and stakeholders to support the implementation of agreements reached between Kenya Kwanza and ODM, including recommendations from the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) and the government’s 10-point agenda.

“We support the broad-based government and we support the implementation of both NADCO and the 10-point agenda, including the empowerment of young people,” he said.

Kindiki told the Kisumu crowd that the administration would prioritise delivery over political rhetoric, urging citizens to remain patient as reforms take root.