Muturi slams Ruto’s extravagant travel costs for NYOTA fund
By Kenneth Mwenda, February 8, 2026Former Attorney General Justin Muturi has sharply criticised President William Ruto’s handling of the NYOTA youth fund, accusing him of wasting public money on expensive tours while giving small handouts to young people.
Muturi spoke on Sunday, February 8, 2026, during a public engagement in Kinamba, Naivasha Constituency, Nakuru County. Addressing residents, he questioned the cost of the president’s visits, like the recent one in Nakuru, where youth groups received small grants under the NYOTA programme.
Muturi claimed that President Ruto used about 11 helicopters to attend the event, yet gave each youth only Ksh22,000. According to him, the total amount distributed comes to about Ksh2.5 million, far less than the cost of the president’s travel and security.
“Rais anashinda akimangamanga hapa. Hata alikuwa hapa Nakuru. Ati anasema anapeana pesa ya kitu inaitwa NYOTA,” Muturi told the crowd.
“Unatumia helicopter kumi na moja kuja Nakuru kupeana elfu ishirini na mbili kwa vijana. Ukihesabu ile pesa alipeana siku hiyo ni milioni mbili na nusu,” he added.
Muturi said the cost of transporting the president, his security detail, cabinet ministers and the deputy president far exceeded the money given to the youths.
“Ukihesabu gharama ya kuleta hao watu wote, ni mara tatu mara nne ya ile pesa anakuja kudhaganya vijana ati hii nawapatia pesa ya kuwasadia,” he said.
Muturi argued that such displays mock the daily struggles of ordinary Kenyans who face high living costs, poor roads and weak public services.
Muturi questions NYOTA rollout
The government launched the NYOTA youth fund to support youth enterprises, offering grants ranging from Ksh 22,000 to Ksh 50,000. President Ruto has personally presided over several distribution events across the country.
Muturi, however, has remained unconvinced. He has repeatedly questioned why the NYOTA fund does not appear in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto. In earlier remarks, he described the distributions as a spectacle filled with dance and drama that a cabinet secretary could handle without the president’s involvement.
“Surely we have never seen this kind of drama of a president distributing Ksh22,000 to young people?” Muturi asked in a previous statement.
He has also claimed that the idea behind the fund began under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing Ruto of taking credit for an existing concept.
Earlier the same day, Muturi turned his attack on President Ruto to education policy, accusing the government of lying about the transition of learners to Grade 10 under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
Speaking at the Catholic Diocese of Nyahururu’s Njabini Parish in Kinangop, Nyandarua County, he dismissed claims that students could join senior schools without fees or uniforms, saying boarding schools lacked beds, food and basic facilities.
“Unasema watoto waende shule bila school fees, hata bila uniform… Mtoto ataenda kulala wapi? Ataenda kulala kwa floor?” Muturi asked, citing television footage of learners turned away from schools.
He accused the Education ministry of pushing pure lies about 100 per cent transition, arguing that overcrowding, poverty and underfunding continue to lock many children out of school despite official assurances.