The Competition
Selected businesses will be awarded grants of Ksh 900,000 or Ksh 3,600,000.
The Competition seeks businesses that:
Are led by youth
Create jobs for youth
Have high growth potential
Below are the eligibility criteria:
Age
The lead applicant and majority (at least 70%) of the shareholders must be aged between 18 and 35 at the time of application.
Nationality
The lead applicant must be a Kenyan national. Kenyans living abroad are eligible to apply but will need to demonstrate that they will live and operate the business in Kenya should their application be successful.
Level of education
The lead applicant must have completed a minimum of Form 4 qualification or equivalent.
Geography
The business must operate in Kenya.
1. Online application
Visit www.mbelenabiz.go.ke to find the link to the application website and application instructions or
2. Paper application:
- For those youth without access to the internet or a computer, it will be possible to submit a paper application form through a Youth Development Officer, a listed partner, or by attending one of the MbeleNabiz workshops
- We strongly encourage submission of applications online, however, as capturing information through paper applications has a much higher risk of mistakes
Be aware that there is no application fee, so please do not make any payment to apply to the Competition. But note that candidates invited for business training would need to cover the cost of the travel to the training venues.
The Competition invites applications from new and existing businesses that:
Are led by youth
Businesses that harness the creativity of young people in Kenya.
Create jobs for youth
Businesses that demonstrate the potential to create employment for young women and men in Kenya.
Have high growth potential
Business should demonstrate commercial viability
Applications were reviewed by the Competitions Manager, KPMG, and an independent judging panel. The Competition sought high potential business ideas that are innovative and scalable. It was a competitive process and not everyone could be selected, so applicants were encouraged to put their best efforts into their proposals.
Successful applications were notified that they would receive either Ksh 900,000 or Ksh 3,600,000. Some applicants also had the opportunity to receive training in business plan preparation.