President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the National Youth Service (NYS) to increase intake of recruits to 30,000.
Speaking Tuesday at the National Youth Service College in Gigil where he presided over the passing out parade of 10,411 youths, President Kenyatta said NYS needed to expand to accommodate more young people.
“To that end, I direct that the number of youth recruited into NYS be increased from 21,870 to 30,000,” President Kenyatta said.
The President expressed confidence that the goal of recruiting more youths would be achieved given the tremendous growth the NYS has witnessed in the last two years.
He pointed out that NYS is set to be rejuvenated and its mandate expanded, a move that will be reflected in the coming days with the launch of a facility to accommodate and rehabilitate young victims of drug and substance abuse at the NYS unit at Miritini in Mombasa County.
The Head of State disclosed that he will soon open the facility which has been developed by the NYS in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The work of NYS will also be seen in the implementation of plans made, in partnership with the NTSA, to retest and recertify PSV drivers including boda boda riders, in order to enhance road safety,” said President Kenyatta.
The Head of State applauded NYS for increasing the number of servicemen and women transiting to technical vocational training from 4,200 in 2013 to 8,889 in 2016, bringing the number to a total of 23,325 over the period.
“In a world where educational qualifications no longer suffice as security in the area of employment, your accomplishment today and the experiences you will incur hereafter, stand you in good stead for contemporary job opportunities,” he pointed out.
He assured the recruits that his Government remained committed to job creation and opening up more opportunities for the youth both within and outside the country.
“In fact, we are even now engaged in active deliberations that could in the medium-term, secure job for our youth with a number of local corporates, foreign investors and foreign governments,” said President Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta added that the Government is working to expand Kenya’s maritime industry which has huge and untapped potential to provide thousands of jobs for Kenyan youth.
He asked the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the youth docket to explore partnerships through which some of the recruits could be equipped with the skills to become seafarers and participate in an industry that is bound to become a dynamic part of the country’s economy.
President Kenyatta also urged Kenya’s security organs to set aside recruitment slots for qualified NYS servicemen and women, saying he expects detailed reports on the numbers recruited by each of the disciplined forces following the completion of each recruitment exercise.
The President commended the NYS for its efforts to enhance accountability, saying much progress has been made in strengthening financial management and internal controls aimed at improving its governance.
“Today’s ceremony stands as proof of the remarkable progress that has been made in the management and operations of the service over the course of the past year,” said the President.
Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said NYS has continued to play a pivotal role in promoting social cohesion and peaceful co-existence among Kenyans by recruiting youth equitably from all corners of the country and by training them on shared values of nationhood.
She singled out the NYS empowerment programme as one of the successful initiatives that have cultivated entrepreneurship and saving cultures among the youth through the Savings and Credit Cooperative organizations model.
“These young people are receiving training in management, finance, and integration among other relevant courses to help them drive their saccos towards sustainable enterprises,” she said.
Other speakers included NYS Director General Richard Ndubai and the college commandant Isaac Ndirangu.
_PSCU