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Why Kenya's catalytic funds are not effective in poverty alleviation

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. 

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