President Uhuru Kenyatta has made a major announcement that will excite graduates of the National Youth Service (NYS).
Speaking when he presided over the passing out parade of 15,461 NYS recruits at the National Youth Service College, Gilgil, President Kenyatta called on all disciplined forces to absorb a certain number of NYS graduates during each recruitment.
“I am informed that only the National Police Service and the Prisons Service have since recruited a few servicemen and women,” said the President.
“Going forward, and recognising the importance of absorbing our youth into the disciplined forces, I shall require a compliance update from all disciplined services following each intake,” he added.
As part of the graduation ceremony, with the largest number of recruits in the history of the service, President Kenyatta also presented awards to best recruits and officers.
The NYS was training an average of 4,000 recruits until 2013 but now the number of trainees has been raised to 30,000 accommodated in two annual intakes.
President Kenyatta also directed the NYS to restart its community work which has so far achieved a remarkable impact in the improvement of living conditions in disadvantaged regions and poor urban neighbourhoods.
By the end of the period to October 2017, the programme, which was kicked off during the first term of the Jubilee Administration, had engaged 236,250 community youth in 253 constituencies across all the 47 counties.
The youth who were engaged in NYS community work had saved a total of Sh3.48 billion in 688 SACCOs by October 2017.
According to Government records, a significant portion of the savings is already circulating in youth businesses ranging from merchandising, agency business, transportation, communication, agriculture, entertainment, beauty, and hospitality.