After being selected and communicated to in February, the awardees have gone through a verification exercise to help them comply with the requirements for the first tranche. The first tranche is now being released as awardees are being cleared by the MbeleNaBiz team. The list of awardees who have been disbursed to is uploaded and regularly updated on the News & Events page of the website.

Planning for tranche 2 disbursements is underway. You will be advised on instructions for uploading tranche 2 compliance documents by July 1st. You can start getting required documents in order. For tranche 2, awardees will be required to upload the following:
(1) Temporary or annual business permit;
(2) Proof of spending since the receipt of tranche 1 of any purchases/investments more than Ksh. 50,000 (e.g. receipts, employment contracts, contracts, etc);
(3) Financial template; and,
(4) Development impact template, that will be shared with you by July 1st.

A list of the awardees who have been disbursed to so far is displayed and regularly updated on the News & Events page of the website.

MIIYA and their partners are to conduct a monitoring and verification exercise to make sure that the grants are duly used for the purpose of developing your businesses. As a MbeleNaBiz awardee, you are to expect visits from MIIYA, MSEA, KPMG, or affiliated partners at your place of business and you are kindly requested to comply with the visits.

While the grants are being released on a regular basis, there might be some delays before the money arrives in your bank accounts. Please reach out to your bank to seek clarification. Please do not hesitate to contact MSEA (www.msea.go.ke/contact/) should the issue persist.

Submitted business plans were reviewed by an independent panel of judges who each signed a confidentiality agreement.

Due to the large number of inquiries received, the MbeleNaBiz team cannot provide individual feedback to applicants. Complaints need to be lodged with the KYEOP at: http://mis.kyeop.go.ke/live/register/index.php/home/complaint and will be responded to within 5 business days. Based on questions or comments received, responses will be categorized and posted as FAQs on the website or social media posts.

Please reach out to your designated MSEA officer. If you do not know your MSEA officer, contact info@mbelenabiz.go.ke.

News and updates on the Competition will be communicated through the MbeleNaBiz social media pages as well as the Competition's website; www.mbelenabiz.go.ke.

A total of 750 successful applicants have been notified and will be awarded with either Ksh 900,000 or Ksh 3,600,000

As a majority of the applicants had requested funding for amounts larger than the award sizes available, the award decision and amount were arrived at by a combination of processes including but not limited to screening, scoring, and verification as necessary.

The amount is a grant.

The MbeleNaBiz team cannot ascertain any future intakes at this particular point. However, please visit the website and follow us on social media for any future updates.

The documents that are needed to be uploaded on the portal are provided on the congratulation email and are listed in the portal.

Proof of address can be any official document that has the name and address of the Lead Applicant. This includes, but is not limited to personal bank statements, utility bills, or rent agreements.

Please open a bank account for your business and upload those details. The bank account should be in the name of the entity registered. Personal bank accounts will not be accepted. The lead applicant must attend the verification event, even if the business bank account is not yet open.

As long as you were within the age limit of 18-35 years when you submitted the initial application, you are still eligible.

As per the MbeleNaBiz eligibility criteria, the lead applicant must be in Kenya and willing to operate the business in Kenya. Replacements are not allowed. If the lead applicant is abroad temporarily, all documents must be for the lead applicant. The lead applicant can upload their documents from overseas and documents can be verified once the lead applicant returns.

Upload all documents you currently have into the MIS. Apply for any missing documents and upload them into the system once available. If you do not have the documents ready before the verification exercise, you will be required to verify with the MSEA county officer before any money can be disbursed. If you are waiting for a certificate of good conduct, please upload a proof of your application.

Yes, the business location may change, but please notify MbeleNaBiz of any changes.

Yes, the business registration type can change as long as the lead applicant remains in the business and the business still meets the requirements of the competition (e.g. 70% youth owned).

The award is directed to the business plan submitted during the competition. Changes must be in support of the original business plan.

First tranche disbursements to awardees who have been cleared is ongoing. You will receive notification once the funds have been disbursed. Please feel free to reach out to your assigned MSEA Verification Officer for any clarification with respect to this matter. If you do not know your MSEA officer, contact info@mbelenabiz.go.ke.

For now, you do not need to submit the certificate of good conduct itself. However, please keep proof of your application and upload it on the MIS portal if you have not already done so.

If you did not upload all your documents required for Tranche 1, please submit them by June 30, 2021. You can reach out to your designated MSEA officer or contact MSEA to request assistance: www.msea.go.ke/contact/

Please reach out to your designated MSEA officer.