The National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) program has issued a notice to all applicants ahead of the upcoming Validation Exercise scheduled for Friday, October 24.
In a statement on Tuesday, October 21, NYOTA said all selected youth must complete the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test (EAT), which is a vital step in assessing their entrepreneurial abilities and readiness for the next phase of the program.
"The next step before the Validation Exercise on 24 October 2025, selected youth should undertake the Entrepreneurship Aptitude Test, which is a key step in assessing entrepreneurial skills.
"Send the word NYOTA to 40270 and follow the prompts to complete the EAT," the organization announced.
To successfully complete the process, applicants are required to activate promotional messages by dialing *100*5*2*5*1#, send the word ‘NYOTA’ to 40270, and then follow the prompts to select their preferred language before answering all questions sent via SMS.
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NYOTA has reminded applicants to use the same mobile number they registered with during their application to ensure seamless processing and completion of the test.
The organization further clarified that the test is free of charge and can be undertaken using either a smartphone or a basic feature phone.
Once an answer has been submitted, it cannot be changed, and each participant is only allowed to take the test once.
The test typically takes between 15 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on response speed and network conditions.
NYOTA also assured participants that those whose phones go off or lose connection during the process can continue the test from where they left off once their device is back on, as long as they use the same SIM card.
This comes days after State Department for MSMEs Development Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni clarified why university and college students are not eligible for the recently launched NYOTA Fund.
Speaking on Tuesday, October 14, she explained that the program is designed to specifically uplift Kenyans at the very bottom of the economic pyramid.
Mang’eni said the fund’s target group excludes those with tertiary education as it focuses on empowering individuals and small enterprises that lack formal education and access to financing.
"The NYOTA Fund is targeting those at the very bottom of the economic pyramid, but we are also working on other initiatives that will target college and university students. If you have a tertiary education, you can't benefit from the NYOTA Fund," she said.
However, Mang’eni noted that the government recognizes the need to create opportunities for those pursuing higher education and assured that other programs are already in motion to address their needs.
"However, we have other initiatives, for example, under my ministry, we have the Kenya Jobs Economic Transformation program, which is creating more opportunities for college and university students," she added.
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