Where Is Our Money? Trainers Seek Answers Over Outstanding NYOTA Payments Involving Firm Linked to Influential Former Cabinet Secretary

A growing payment dispute has emerged around the implementation of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, with trainers and ICT personnel recruited in April claiming they remain unpaid nearly two months after completing assignments that were central to the programme's rollout.

At the centre of the dispute are Centre for Strategy Management Ltd, a Nairobi-based management consultancy that operates under the brand "The Strategy Center" and Execuget Consult Limited, a well-known Kenyan recruitment and workforce solutions company with operations spanning Kenya and the Gulf region.

Workers engaged under the arrangement say they were contracted to train NYOTA beneficiaries and manage programme data with the understanding that payment would be processed shortly after completion of the exercise.

According to the affected personnel, Centre for Strategy Management Chief Executive Officer Daniel Nyutu assured trainers and ICT officers that compensation would be released within a week after the training programme ended.

They further state that the contracts signed for the assignment specified payment upon submission of final reports, a requirement they say was fulfilled immediately after the work concluded.

Yet weeks later, dozens of trainers and ICT personnel say they are still waiting.

The dispute extends beyond delayed payments alone. ICT officers report that they were initially issued contracts structured for trainers before being informed that revised agreements reflecting expanded responsibilities would be provided.

Those revised contracts, they say, were never issued, leaving them in a position where their duties increased while contractual documentation remained unresolved.

The result has been mounting frustration among personnel who expected the engagement to be a professional assignment backed by established corporate entities with substantial operational footprints.

Centre for Strategy Management is not an unknown organisation. The Nairobi-based consultancy markets itself as a specialist in strategic planning, executive coaching, organisational transformation, corporate training and institutional capacity building across Africa.

Its business model is built around helping organisations strengthen performance, develop internal capabilities and manage complex programmes.

Execuget Consult Limited similarly occupies a visible position within Kenya's employment and workforce development sector.

The company is licensed by the National Employment Authority and has built a reputation as a cross-border recruitment agency connecting Kenyan and African workers with opportunities in Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Through its M-Ajira Global Workforce Platform, Execuget promotes itself as a technology-driven talent deployment firm capable of matching workers with employers while tracking placements through digital systems.

The company also operates training and upskilling programmes designed to prepare workers for international labour markets.

For workers now seeking payment, the prominence of both firms has made the situation more difficult to comprehend.

The matter has attracted further attention because of claims from trainers that Execuget is linked to former Gatundu South Member of Parliament and former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, one of Kenya's most recognisable political figures.

Kuria, who previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry before later heading the Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management docket, left government and subsequently served as a Senior Economic Advisor before stepping away from that role in July 2025.

Although he currently holds no government position, his name remains influential within Kenya's political and business circles.

Workers say that association reinforced their confidence in the programme and their expectation that contractual obligations would be honoured promptly.

Instead, they describe a cycle of unanswered calls, delayed responses and general assurances without firm payment dates.

Several trainers say they incurred transport, accommodation and operational expenses while delivering programme activities and expected reimbursement alongside their agreed compensation. Many now report financial strain after committing time and resources to assignments they believed were backed by credible institutions.

The dispute also raises questions about oversight within one of Kenya's flagship youth empowerment initiatives. NYOTA is designed to support young people through training, enterprise development and employment opportunities, making the treatment of personnel recruited to implement the programme an issue that extends beyond a simple contractual disagreement.

Workers are now asking whether the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) is aware that personnel engaged in programme delivery remain unpaid weeks after completing their duties. They are also seeking clarity on the status of funds linked to the exercise and whether mechanisms exist to ensure contractors fulfil obligations to trainers and ICT staff deployed on the ground.

The contrast between the programme's objectives and the experiences described by affected workers has become a source of growing frustration. Many say they accepted the assignments believing they were contributing to a national initiative aimed at expanding economic opportunity, only to find themselves pursuing payment long after the work was completed.

Centre for Strategy Management Ltd, Execuget Consult Limited and Daniel Nyutu are now being called upon to publicly clarify the status of outstanding payments, explain the delays and provide a definitive timeline for settlement.

Affected trainers and ICT personnel are being encouraged to preserve all contracts, deployment letters, attendance records, reports, communication records and payment commitments and submit formal complaints to the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority, the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSME Development, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and other relevant oversight agencies.

Workers say the issue is no longer simply about delayed compensation but about ensuring accountability in programmes that rely on the commitment and labour of professionals tasked with delivering them.

"Hello Nyakundi. Please hide ID. This is a cry for justice. Centre for Strategy Management Ltd, in conjunction with Execuget company allegedly linked to Moses Kuria, hired trainers and ICT personnel in April to train and manage data for NYOTA beneficiaries. The CEO of Centre for Strategy Management, Daniel Nyutu, promised that payments would be made within one week after the training ended. The contracts signed were also clear that payment would be made immediately after submission of reports, which all trainers submitted promptly after the exercise. Daniel Nyutu had also promised ICT officials revised contracts after they had initially signed trainers' contracts before their duties were revised upwards. Up to today, the ICT officials have never received the revised contracts, and both they and the trainers have never been paid. The company officials rarely answer calls or messages, and whenever they respond, they only give general responses with no clear timelines. Trainers are devastated and frustrated. Almost two months have passed since the training ended, yet there has been no communication and no payments. Is the government aware that this company is not meeting its obligations while other contracted companies have already paid their trainers? Is MSEA aware that people who delivered their work honestly and with commitment are now under distress because a company is withholding their money? Is the World Bank aware of the pain and suffering these trainers are going through, yet funds for the programme were allegedly released? Is the President aware of these people who are clearly sabotaging him? These trainers have families and personal expenses, and life has been hard since they did not even receive any reimbursement for expenses incurred, including transport. We are only asking for justice and for people to be paid for work already done."