President William Ruto caused excitement at the launch of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Capital Disbursement event in Kisumu on Monday, February 2, 2026.
Ruto, who presided over the event at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, Kisumu County, stepped up to the microphone and greeted the crowd in fluent Dholuo.
The warm greeting, delivered perfectly in the local language, sent a ripple of surprise and excitement that swept through the gathering, quickly turning into laughter as the crowd cheered.
“Kisumu Hoyee! Amosou jothurwa!” Ruto said as soon as he took the microphone.
This loosely translates to “Hey Kisumu… I greet you, people from my place.”
Lively engagement
With the crowd still cheering and roaring in response, Ruto engaged the crowd further in the local dialect, setting the tone for a lively engagement.
“Jothurwa untie, Juthorwa umor, Jothurwa uyil (People from my place, are you present? Are you happy? Are you excited?” Ruto continued.
“Bwana asifiwe! Hebu mnisalimie hewani watu wa Kisumu dala… Jokisumu hoyee,” Ruto added after personalised greetings referencing the counties of Siaya and Homaya that were among those represented at the event.
Ruto hailed the programme as a fulfilment of a pledge he made to ensure that Kenya’s youth are adequately supported to pursue business or employment or business and contribute to nation-building.
“Tuliwaeleza vijana wa Kenya ya kwamba tutakuwa na mpango maalum ya ajira na biashara. Wengine hawakutuamini… Tunalipa deni yetu kwa kuhakikisha vijana wa Kenya wako na hali na namna ya kujisimamia, either kupata kazi ama kufanya biashara ili wapeleke taifa letu mbele,” he said.
Ruto slams critics
Ruto said that Kenyan youth have an opportunity of a lifetime to benefit from the programme, emphasising that it is implemented with full transparency and integrity without any discrimination.
He took a stab at government critics, dismissing them as naysayers and adding that his administration is sorting out the mess left behind by the same politicians who are criticising his government.
He outlined some of the initiatives taken to fix the challenges that he claimed to have inherited from the “leaderless, rudderless, planless and agenda-less opposition”.
Ruto also interacted with beneficiaries of the NYOTA programme and dismissed critics claiming that the grant offered to the youth is insignificant, challenging them to state what they have offered to the youth instead.
