By M, KNA
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for National Treasury and Economic Planning, John Mbadi, has called upon the youth to join efforts in nation building by embracing available economic opportunities.
Mbadi said the Government has come up with innovative interventions to uplift ordinary citizens striving to make a living through informal sector and urged the youth to embrace these programs.
Some of these interventions include Youth Fund, Uwezo Fund and the Hustler Fund among other interventions.
Mbadi was speaking in Kisumu during a Nyanza Youth Summit, bringing together stakeholders from the boda boda sector, university students, blue economy players, political aspirants and members of the business community in a renewed call for youth-driven nation building.
The summit, themed “Empowering Youth through Raila Odinga’s Legacy through Peace, Participation and Pan-African Vision,” focused on inspiring young people to take an active role in shaping Kenya’s future through inclusive leadership and constitutionalism.
In his address, Mbadi challenged the youth to look beyond the struggle for independence and focus on the greater responsibility of building the nation.
Some of the interventions the Government has put in place to help empower the youth is Youth Enterprise Fund which was designed to provide grants, loans, or resources to young people to boost entrepreneurship, education, and employment.
The Uwezo Fund on its part is a Kenyan government initiative launched in 2013 to empower women, youth, and persons with disabilities by providing access to interest-free, constituency-based loans for business development.
Hustler Fund on the other hand is a digital financial inclusion initiative designed to improve financial access to finance personal, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya.
It aims to reduce poverty, promote entrepreneurship, and create employment through a revolving fund, usually accessed by organized groups
“This loan is designed to help hustlers and small business owners access money when they need it most. Whether it’s stocking up your shop, fixing your motorbike, or handling an emergency, this loan gives you quick cash without collateral or long approval processes,” Mbadi said.
More recently, the government came up with the National Youth Opportunities towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme. It is a national youth program targeting young people across Kenya to promote employment, entrepreneurship, income generation and youth savings and financial security.
The project has four key components: improving youth employability; expanding employment opportunities.
NYOTA is an initiative aimed at boosting employment and incomes for vulnerable youth by providing skills development, entrepreneurship support, mentorship, and access to enterprise equipment and funding. The project distributes equipment like sewing machines, posho mills, and welding machines to groups in various sectors to promote innovation and formalize businesses.
Its objective is to increase employment, income, and savings among targeted vulnerable youth in Kenya and targets vulnerable youth aged 18-29, and up to 35 for persons with disabilities, including refugees in specific counties.
“It was easier to fight for independence but after that the real work starts which is nation building,” Mbadi told the youth, emphasizing that true statesmanship is anchored on inclusion and shared responsibility.
Data from World Bank shows over 3.4million young people below the age of 35 are not engaged in any form of employment, as our institutions of higher learning churn out over a million youths into the job market every year.
He noted that a strong nation is where everyone has a sense of belonging, it`s a place where we don’t just exploit but plow back into with hopes for the future,” Mbadi stated.
In June 2024 and 2025, the youth engaged in violent protests on the streets seeking inclusion in formulation of public policies as they opposed the 2024/ 2025 budget proposals, several young lives were lost in the process.
The CS praised the former Prime Minister the late Raila Odinga’s role in advancing constitutional reforms, describing him as a rare leader committed to development and long-term national progress.
The late former premier died in October last year after suffering a heart attack in a hospital in India.
“Leadership that will work towards building Kenya is rare unlike Raila who advocated for development. That’s why the local mwananchi hold Raila dearly,” he noted.
Mbadi further reminded the youth about the late Odinga’s contribution to the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, saying it reflected his commitment to inclusivity.
“Raila was a strategist and believed not only in nation building but also in equality and inclusivity and that is why he pushed for the new constitution, the one we are now committed to as a government,” he said.
On the contentious debate around constitutional amendments, Mbadi urged Kenyans to focus on the spirit rather than the fear of change.