The government has dismissed claims that the Nyota Fund programme is riddled with irregularities, insisting that the initiative is transparent, inclusive, and fully digitised.
Speaking on Monday, February 9, 2026, State Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni said the entire process, from application to disbursement, has been conducted openly, with no political influence or favouritism.
“This has been a purely digitised process. Young people applied on their own using their phones; nobody was instructed or forced to apply,” Mang’eni said.
She explained that after applications were submitted, verification was conducted publicly to ensure accountability at the grassroots level.
“We did verification so that the whole country can come and see that indeed, in this ward, we have these young people who applied for this project,” she noted.
Mang’eni added that the training phase was also conducted transparently, with beneficiaries attending sessions independently, except for persons with disabilities who were accompanied by caregivers.
“When it came to training, they’ve been coming on their own. Nobody holds your hand, except persons with disabilities who require assistance,” she said.
Addressing concerns around fund disbursement, the PS said making the process public was a deliberate move to avoid secrecy and speculation.
“If we were not disbursing funds in public, people would be asking who the beneficiaries are. That is why we invite the public to come and witness,” Mang’eni explained.
She firmly rejected claims that the programme is politically driven, stressing that there is no political messaging attached to the initiative.
“There is no politics in this. We invite everybody. I don’t understand which part of this is a scandal when you can clearly see the beneficiaries,” she said.
Mang’eni emphasised that the Nyota Fund is accessible to all eligible youth, without the need for personal connections.
“You do not need to know anyone. It is just you, your phone, and the application. Every young person had a fair chance to be selected,” she said.
