By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, January 12 2026 - President William Ruto on Monday took aim at his political critics, using the launch of a major youth empowerment programme in Nyeri to defend his administration’s record and challenge opponents to offer credible alternatives.
Speaking at the disbursement of Sh173.2 million to 6,982 young entrepreneurs under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, the President accused some leaders of belittling government initiatives for political gain while doing little themselves to uplift the youth.
Those dismissing the Sh50,000 start-up capital as insignificant, he said, were out of touch with the realities facing ordinary Kenyans.
“If you think Sh50,000 is little money, it is little to you and your family because you are rich. With Sh50,000 you can begin a business,” President Ruto said, in remarks widely seen as directed at sections of the Opposition that have criticized the programme.
The President was speaking at the Kabiru-ini ASK Show Grounds in Nyeri Town, in the heart of the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, where his administration is seeking to shore up political support amid growing opposition agitation.
Flanked by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Governors Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri) and Kiarie Badilisha (Nyandarua), and a host of Cabinet secretaries and MPs, Ruto used the occasion to draw a sharp political contrast between what he described as “talk and drama” and what he called “practical empowerment”.
He said the NYOTA programme, which targets 820,000 young people nationally, was proof that his government was focused on tangible results rather than rhetoric.
The programme covers four pillars — business financing, recognition of prior learning, training and mentorship, and savings.
“Those who are making noise have no better ideas and have not empowered the youth in all the years they have been in leadership,” he said, warning against turning development programmes into political footballs.
Beyond NYOTA, the President highlighted flagship projects such as affordable housing, digital jobs and labour export as part of what he termed a deliberate strategy to lock young people into the economy.
More from Kenya
He said the Affordable Housing Programme alone has created over 500,000 jobs, while another 500,000 young Kenyans have secured employment abroad, pushing diaspora remittances up by about Sh130 billion in the last two years.
On the digital economy, President Ruto said the rollout of fibre optic infrastructure — already at 30,000 kilometres — was aimed at creating a million digital jobs, with 300,000 youths already earning online.
The President also linked the youth agenda to his education reforms, saying the hiring of 100,000 teachers, construction of 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories, and promotion of 25,000 teachers were meant to ensure young people are better prepared for the job market.
“We must get value for the Sh700 billion we spend on education by making sure our young people are placed where they can contribute to the progress of our nation,” he said.
Deputy President Kindiki echoed the political message, telling beneficiaries that small capital can deliver big results if properly invested.
“It is possible to start small and grow big,” he said, in an apparent bid to counter narratives that the government’s support is tokenistic.
The President later toured several projects in Nyeri County, including the Kenol–Sagana–Marua road, the Karatina Marigiti Modern Market and the Karatina Affordable Housing Project, as he showcased what the government says are concrete development gains in the region.
In a region that remains politically contested, the NYOTA launch doubled as both an economic intervention and a political statement — with the President signalling that youth empowerment, not political noise, will be his administration’s battleground heading into the next election cycle.
