Comedian and social media personality Eric Omondi has dismissed the government’s youth empowerment program, the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA), as a mere campaign gimmick meant to hoodwink the youth and get them to vote for the incumbent regime.

Speaking to a local TV station on Friday, January 16, 2026, Omondi faulted the timing of the project and its conceivable motives.

“We have just entered the campaigning period, where we need consistent and sustainable solutions for young people. NYOTA is a mere campaign tool for the president and his government. Kenya Kwanza came to power in 2022—where was NYOTA then? They are now campaigning for 2027. It is a handout and a campaign tool to win over the youth,” he stated.

Omondi, who claims he regularly interacts with youths, called for a paradigm shift in how youth empowerment is undertaken.

He argued that, given the current economic situation, the start-up capital being disbursed (around Ksh22,000–25,000) would only meet short-term needs rather than support genuine business ventures.

Disbursed amounts

“If you give a young person Ksh22,000 now, it goes to rent, school fees, food, or other issues—or to drinking dens. People do not have money. What we need are sustainable ventures. If you give a young person Ksh22,000 today, he will head straight to a drinking den,” he said.

In suggesting an alternative, Omondi urged the government to create employment opportunities and sustainable structures instead of dishing out cash.

“The biggest issues for young people are employment and entrepreneurship. We cannot go around the country dishing cash,” he stated.

His remarks come after Ruto hailed the program as one that would see citizens from the lowest levels empowered without undue consideration to their education status.

Game changer

In a statement on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Ruto stated that the program, which targets vulnerable youth aged 18 to 29 years with Form Four education or below, was now reaching between 70 and 80 young people in every ward across the country, with a major focus on unemployed or underemployed ones.

“Today, the NYOTA program benefits between 70 and 80 young people in every ward in the Republic of Kenya. This is what we meant by the bottom-up economic approach, that we go to the lowest level and every citizen benefits, without considering their education level,” Ruto said.

The initiative has, however, come under sharp criticism from other leaders, with Roots Kenya’s presidential running mate in the 2022 elections, Justina Wamae, expressing concern about the potential for such monies being wasted away on alcohol.