By Andrew Kariuki

Hundreds of youths enrolled in the government-backed National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme staged overnight protests in Kisii County, raising concerns over reduced stipends and delayed payments.

The protests, involving trainees in Nyaribari Chache Constituency, began at around 8PM and stretched past midnight after participants reported receiving only Ksh300 instead of the expected Ksh1,000 daily allowance.

Frustrated by what they described as a lack of communication and transparency, the youths spent the night at a nearby primary school after failing to get clear answers from programme coordinators.

“What is Ksh300 paid after three days of training?” one of the trainees posed, questioning both the reduced payment and delays in disbursement.

The unrest comes just a day after the government announced the rollout of the programme’s second phase, even as complaints from the first phase continue to emerge across different regions.

NYOTA is a World Bank-funded initiative running over five years, targeting more than 101,000 vulnerable and unemployed youths aged between 18 and 29 across all 47 counties.

Under the Ksh28 billion programme, participants are expected to receive financial support of up to Ksh50,000 upon completion of their training.