The hustler promise: What has Ruto delivered for young Kenyans?

Gen Z protesters chant along Moi Avenue during the first anniversary of the Gen Z protests in Nairobi on June 25, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

President William Ruto came to power promising to put young people and small businesses at the centre of economic growth, arguing that access to affordable credit, skills and markets would enable ordinary Kenyans to lift themselves out of poverty.

More than four years later, the administration points to the Hustler Fund, the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, digital jobs, overseas employment and affordable housing as evidence that it is creating opportunities for a generation struggling to secure work.