President William Ruto during the launch of Nyota Project at the Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County on December 08, 2026. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

Behind the much-publicised Sh30 billion National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (Nyota) project and its allure of “free” money lies a harsh reality: the government is using the programme mainly as a relief measure.

Despite the number of catalytic funds set up by the government by different administrations and billions disbursed through them, for some reason – sometimes obvious – these allocations do not seem to solve the overall challenge of poverty alleviation, which is the main purpose for their existence. 

Fact‑first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.

Unlock Full Access

Unlimited access to all premium content
Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience
Mobile-optimized reading experience
Weekly Newsletters
MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted

Already a subscriber? Log in

`;
} else {
teaserEl.innerHTML = “”;
}

activeEl.innerHTML = “”;
paywallEl.style.display = “block”;

} else if (now >= saleStart && now <= saleEnd) {
paywallEl.style.display = “none”;

var diffToEnd = saleEnd – now;
var totalSeconds = Math.floor(diffToEnd / 1000);
var days = Math.floor(totalSeconds / (24 * 3600));
var hours = Math.floor((totalSeconds % (24 * 3600)) / 3600);
var minutes = Math.floor((totalSeconds % 3600) / 60);
var seconds = totalSeconds % 60;

activeEl.innerHTML = `

Offer ends in…

${days}Days
${String(hours).padStart(2,’0′)}Hours
${String(minutes).padStart(2,’0′)}Minutes
${String(seconds).padStart(2,’0′)}Seconds

Subscribe Now & Save

`;
} else {
teaserEl.innerHTML = “”;
activeEl.innerHTML = “”;
paywallEl.style.display = “block”;
}
}

function formatTime(ms) {
let totalSeconds = Math.floor(ms / 1000);
const days = Math.floor(totalSeconds / (3600 * 24));
totalSeconds %= 3600 * 24;
const hours = Math.floor(totalSeconds / 3600);
totalSeconds %= 3600;
const minutes = Math.floor(totalSeconds / 60);
const seconds = totalSeconds % 60;
return `${days}d ${hours}h ${minutes}m ${seconds}s`;
}

updateFlashSale();
setInterval(updateFlashSale, 1000);

Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

Behind the much-publicised Sh30 billion National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (Nyota) project and its allure of “free” money lies a harsh reality: the government is using the programme mainly as a relief measure.

Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

Published Date: 2026-01-21 08:00:00
Author:
By Graham Kajilwa
Source: The Standard
Leave A Reply

Exit mobile version