President William Ruto joins in a youth dance while presiding over the disbursement of the Nyota Business Start-Up Capital for young entrepreneurs from Kisii, Nyamira and Migori counties at Gusii Stadium.
Agricultural value chains have emerged as the dominant choice for beneficiaries of the government-backed Nyota enterprise programme, underscoring a strong tilt toward food systems as young entrepreneurs seek viable business entry points.
Data published by the Principal Secretary, State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Susan Mang’eni, shows 41 percent of Nyota-supported enterprises are in agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries, followed by wholesale and retail at 26 percent.
The sectoral split offers an early signal of how thousands of first-time entrepreneurs are positioning themselves within the country’s economy, with agriculture-linked opportunities that require relatively lower entry barriers emerging as top choices.
Other sectors attracting interest are fashion and design at 11 percent, as well as beauty and cosmetics at 7 percent.
Susan Mang’eni, the Principal Secretary for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
Additional participation has been recorded in ICT, manufacturing, tourism and hospitality, as well as transport and storage, although at lower levels.
The Nyota programme is a nationwide youth enterprise initiative that combines business skills training, startup capital, and mentorship to support the creation and growth of small businesses.
According to PS Mang’eni, the first tranche of startup capital under the programme has already reached 121,800 beneficiaries, slightly surpassing the target of 120,000 set by the State.
“To date, 94 percent of the beneficiaries who received the first tranche of startup capital have been taken through the mentorship programme, and 98 percent of them have already started their businesses,” she said in an update on the programme’s progress.
“The remaining 2 percent are in the process of starting their business.”
President William Ruto and his Deputy Kithure Kindiki during the NYOTA Start-up capital disbursement at Garissa High School on February 11,2026.
The data shows that Nyota is largely supporting new entrants into business, with 65 percent of mentees identified as first-time entrepreneurs.
A further 19 percent have less than one year of business experience, while 13 percent have been in business for between one and three years.
Only three percent of participants have more than three years of experience.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
