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Ruto defends youth empowerment drives, dismisses critics
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.
President William Ruto has asked Kenyans to believe in his empowerment programmes, noting that his plans are not a scam as some people claim.
The President urged Kenyans not to listen to propaganda or to those speaking about what they do not understand, saying their aim is to prevent them from benefitting from his administration.
"Don't accept propaganda from people who talk about things they do not understand. Many will tell you that the Nyota programme is a scam. Does that mean the youths seated here today are a scam? The youths seated here today are heroes because, when others said this is a scam, you accepted to come here for the Nyota funds," Dr Ruto said.
"I do not believe the naysayers; they have nothing to offer us. They have no plan, no agenda, no vision; they cannot tell us anything," he told the young people of Kenya as he defended empowerment programmes his administration has undertaken.
The President was speaking at Gusii Stadium in Kisii County on Thursday, where he presided over the disbursement of Nyota Business Start-Up Capital to young entrepreneurs from Kisii, Nyamira and Migori counties.
A total of 8,820 entrepreneurs drawn from the three counties will benefit from an initial Sh220.5 million, following the successful completion of a mandatory four-day business skills training programme.
The training equipped beneficiaries with practical skills in financial management, entrepreneurship and business growth, ensuring they are well prepared to start, strengthen and sustain their enterprises.
The President said young people must seize the opportunity and strive for development instead of idling and being used by politicians to cause mayhem.
He noted that Kenya has long grappled with youth unemployment and limited economic empowerment. He reaffirmed the Government’s unwavering commitment to addressing this challenge through targeted and inclusive programmes such as the Nyota initiative.
Dr Ruto took the opportunity to woo Gusii residents to support him, even as he laid out a raft of development projects his administration plans to implement in the region.
The Head of State, who was received by Kisii Governor Simba Arati and his Nyamira counterpart Amos Nyaribo, said he is ready to work with them for the betterment of the region.
"On the export of labour, we have 530,000 youths who have jobs abroad today. Every week, we send 300 youths abroad for jobs, and they, in turn, bring us dollars to help build our country," he said, while encouraging youths to accept whichever job comes their way.
He said it is possible to move this country from the third world to the first world.
President William Ruto addresses a crowd after presiding over the disbursement of the Nyota Business Start-Up Capital for young entrepreneurs from Kisii, Nyamira and Migori counties at Gusii Stadium.
The President was accompanied by his deputy, Prof Kithure Kindiki. Other leaders present at the event included Minority Leader in the National Assembly and MP for Suna East Junet Mohamed, National Assembly Chief Whip Silvanus Osoro, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and elected leaders from Migori, Nyamira and Kisii counties.
He promised to oversee the relocation of Kisii Prison from town to rural areas, saying prisoners have no business in the Central Business District.
"I have announced a contract starting next week for the construction of 10,000 affordable houses. I will need 3,000 youths from here to build the houses. Our affordable housing programme in Kisii is ongoing; we have five projects. We are building 20 new markets in Kisii," Dr Ruto said.
A total of 7,800 hostels for young learners are also being constructed in Kisii town.
Deputy President Prof Kindiki highlighted a range of complementary government initiatives aimed at holistic youth empowerment. These include the Affordable Housing Programme, the Digital Jobs Ecosystem and the Labour Export Programme, implemented through bilateral labour agreements with more than 13 countries.
Kisii County Governor Mr Arati lauded the Nyota project as a strategic economic stimulus that will enable young entrepreneurs to establish and grow their businesses.
He urged beneficiaries to make prudent use of the funds and announced that Nyota-supported entrepreneurs will enjoy licence holidays from the county government to ease their entry into business. Similarly, Nyamira County Governor Mr Nyaribo waived trade licences for five years for Nyota entrepreneurs.
The Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives, Wycliffe Oparanya, commended Kenya’s strong enterprise culture, noting that over two million youths have applied for support under the Nyota Business Support Component.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Salim Mvurya, reaffirmed the Government’s firm resolve to empower young people as key drivers of national development.
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