Nairobi — The Nyota Project on Wednesday commenced the final round of its Business Support classroom training programme across 17 counties, marking a major milestone in its rollout.

The four-day sessions, running until Saturday are being conducted in constituency headquarters within Central Kenya, Nairobi, North Eastern and the Coastal regions.

The participating counties in this final cohort are Garissa, Kiambu, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kwale, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Mombasa, Murang'a, Nairobi City, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Samburu, Taita Taveta, Tana River and Wajir.

With the latest phase now underway, a total of 46 counties have received Business Support training since the programme began. Training for Elgeyo Marakwet County -- which was disrupted due to recent landslides -- will be scheduled at a later date.

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A total of 42,735 youth beneficiaries have been invited to attend the classroom sessions across 510 wards, aligning with the programme requirement of 70 participants per ward. Selected trainees have already been notified and are required to attend at least three of the four training days to qualify for business grant disbursement.

All constituency training centres are reported to be fully prepared, with disbursement of start-up capital expected to follow after the training period.

Last week, similar sessions were conducted in 25 counties -- including Kitui, Machakos, Makueni, Uasin Gishu, Trans-Nzoia, Turkana, Meru, Isiolo, Kisumu and Bomet -- benefiting participants from 151 constituencies and 754 wards.

The Nyota Project Business Support Component aims to empower more than 100,000 vulnerable youth across all 1,450 wards in the country, offering not only training but also access to capital and mentorship.

Following the classroom phase, all beneficiaries will undergo a two-month mentorship programme led by business development specialists and local entrepreneurs to support entry into community-level business networks.