In a rare, well-coordinated exercise, Ruto followed proceedings live from the Ulinzi Complex in Nairobi as his deputy, Cabinet Secretaries and other senior officials took him through a blow-by-blow account of how the NYOTA funds had benefitted Kenyans from multiple regions.
The near-perfect newsroom choreography, complete with a split screen, saw Ruto coordinated the activities from Ulinzi Complex, acting as the studio’s main anchor as his reporters (top government officials) reported from all around Kenya, an execution reminiscent of LIVE TV coverage during major national events.
At first, Ruto called upon his deputy Kithure Kindiki to update Kenyans on the progress of the NYOTA disbursement in Nakuru, with Kindiki taking the president through the mood and feel of the Nakuru beneficiaries.
Cutting him short, Ruto appears to have a more urgent update from Kakamega, as he now asks Kindiki to take a pause and allow Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to take over the reporting duties.
“I need to move to Kakamega now, the Prime Cabinet Secretary is really waiting to get into the program. I’m now the producer of this show. Mr. Prime Cabinet Secretary, the floor is yours…” Ruto says.
After having a brief tête-à-tête with various Nairobi NYOTA beneficiaries, Ruto swings to Kakamega to get a little feel of the state of NYOTA from the region.
As the program rolls on, more and more Cabinet Secretaries join the Nairobi Live link, with CS Alfred Mutua reporting from Machakos, Wycliffe Oparanya reporting from Kapenguria, Beatrice Askul Moe from West Pokot and John Mbadi from Kisumu.
Other Cabinet Secretaries who joined the link included Aden Duale from Garissa and Alice Wahome in Murang’a.
Through it all, Ruto appears to be fully in charge of the show, personally picking out the next ‘reporter’ and following the updates keenly before moving the show to the next stop.
From Chuka, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Geoffrey Ruku joins the program as he interrogates youth from Embu, Meru and Chuka regions on how their NYOTA funds have changed their lives.
Speaking at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, Ruto directed the implementation of a two-year business permit waiver for all beneficiaries of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, in a move aimed at easing the cost of doing business for young entrepreneurs.
“Having seen what these young entrepreneurs have achieved with modest support, the government of Kenya now has a responsibility to remove the barriers that still stand in their way. Success should never be constrained by unnecessary bureaucracy,” Ruto said.
The President further directed the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development to establish a national NYOTA identification mechanism to enable beneficiaries to seamlessly access government services, incentives and enterprise support programmes.
He also instructed state-backed financing institutions, including the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, the Uwezo Fund, the Women Enterprise Fund and other relevant agencies, to develop a dedicated NYOTA Growth Product to provide follow-on financing for businesses that outgrow the initial grants.
